Usotsuki Boy
by AniMeViEtGrl
Summary: A secret agreement pretending to date each other for two months. What could POSSIBLY go wrong? InoShika
1. PILOT

_**Title: **__Usotsuki Boy _

_**Summary: **__All he had to do was pretend to date her for a couple of months and then he'd be home free…right? At least…it had __**seemed**__ easier in his head…_

_**Genre:**__ Comedy, Romance _

_**Rating:**__ T for language. _

_**Warning:**__ OOCness ensues_

_**Notes:**__ Wahoo! Here it is! Here it is! The debut of my surprise ShikaIno chapter fic! My first one mind you! This is the reason why I haven't been able to update An Apple a Day (with the addition of procrastination and laziness). So yeah…Hmm to be honest I've only brainstormed a little for this story but please stick with me to the end!! As usual it's a romantic comedy…I suck at writing other genres…_

_Yosh! Let's cut the first chapter shall we?

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_**Pilot**_

Shikamaru Nara scowled as he glared at the blonde sitting calmly behind the counter. Ino Yamanaka didn't even bat an eyelash his way but instead flipped the page of her new Konoha Teen magazine. Her lips pursed together at seeing a cute leather skirt on the hot list and she tapped the counter rhythmically.

"Tell me again how I ended up getting into this mess?" he asked icily.

It wasn't until a couple of minutes passed when she finally acknowledged his presence.

"Was that a rhetorical question?"

Shikamaru openly glared at her and felt his anger rising.

"What do you think?!"

Ino gave a little shrug and she cupped her chin with her palm as she read a juicy article about her favorite actress.

After a few minutes of Shikamaru quietly seething, the blonde's blue eyes locked on his face and she gave a small pout.

"What went and got up your ass this morning?"

He didn't even hesitate to answer her question.

"YOU! You did! You had to go and shove your damn new heels up my ass! That's what!!" he barked sarcastically.

The mind user looked at him astonished.

"What? I never did that!"

"It was a damn figure of speech!"

She pursed her lips.

"Ohhh…but you did notice my new shoes! You like??"

Ino then proceeded to lift up her leg to show Shikamaru her new top of the line four inch black heels. The chunin glared at her in response and suddenly wondered what it would feel like to wring her little neck.

"Cut the crap Ino! This is serious!" Shikamaru spat and slammed his hand on the counter. The sound made the girl pause from scanning her magazine and she frowned when her eyes met his again.

"No need to shout…geez…I'm right here…" she retorted calmly and pressed her body against the counter lazily.

"Look Shikamaru…I obviously don't see why you're freaking out about this…it's not like we're getting married or something…" Ino brought her attention back to the magazine and she began to play with a lock of her golden hair.

Before the boy could open his mouth to defy her, she continued again.

"I mean…you should even be thankful for this…"

The cloud gazer furrowed his brows together and he immediately stopped his pacing around in the flower shop. He walked over to the counter and rested his arm on the smooth wood and pressed his body against it. When he thought he had finally calmed himself he brought his face merely inches away from hers and began to speak.

"Thankful? Why the hell should I be thankful?!" he muttered irritably and pulled his face away from hers, banging his fist down on the counter. Ino frowned at his violent action and she closed her magazine reluctantly.

"Please don't take your frustration out on the counter…it never did anything to you…" she calmly replied and shifted on her stool. Shikamaru cringed at her words and he suddenly wondered if she meant for him to take it out on her instead, since she was the source of his rage right now…

"Ino!"

He growled threateningly under his breath and the florist sighed.

"Alright! Alright! I'll think of a way to get us out of this! Although I still fail to see why you shouldn't be thankful to me! I mean…what guy wouldn't want to date the most beautiful kunoichi in Konoha??"

"No guy wouldn't…but I fail to see what that has to do with you…" Shikamaru replied flatly. Ino's eyes narrowed at his comment and she glowered before him.

"I see someone has finally calmed down enough to run that sarcastic mouth of his…"

"At least this someone can control his temper better than another someone he knows…"

The two teens then committed to a death glaring contest which would make even Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke wallow in shame.

Suddenly, the light ringing of bells filled the room and the contest was immediately called off. Shikamaru's face became neutral as the customer came through the sliding door and Ino's once frown turned upside down.

"Welcome to Yamanaka Flowers! May I help you?" She asked kindly in her professional voice and the old woman turned her attention towards the two kids. She smiled warmly at them.

"Why if it isn't Nara-kun! I guess it's no surprise to find you here…" the old lady chuckled and Ino gave the deer boy a confused look. Shikamaru mouthed something along the lines of "my next door neighbor…"

"Nice to see you again Hio-obaa-chan…I see you're as healthy as ever..." the shogi player returned her friendly smile (which Ino would like to point out was fake) and bowed respectively to her.

"Ah such a nice boy. It seems you are well…Anyways, I'm here to buy some lilies for my home" the old lady turned to Ino who at once nodded and went to the back greenhouse to bring out the assortment of lilies available.

As the blue-eyed girl became out of earshot the old woman turned to Shikamaru and nudged him lightly on the side.

"I heard from Nara-san that you and that girl are now dating…congratulations on my behalf….she's a pretty one" the woman teased with a wink and Shikamaru could feel himself cringe inside.

"Thank-you…" the shadow user hesitated and scratched his head sheepishly.

_...troublesome mother of mine!_

Shikamaru sighed in relief when Ino's light footsteps interrupted the awkward silence. "Here you are ma'am! We have 5 different kinds of lilies to choose from…" Ino called out as she reemerged from the back with a small bouquet of each in her hands. Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he watched her struggle with the bouquets and he quickly crossed over to her side.

"Here…give me half…" he offered and took the flowers away without her consent. Ino pouted cutely but obliged nevertheless.

The old woman paid for her flowers and left after parting a few kind words to the couple while throwing Shikamaru a good luck wink, who once again inwardly cringed. As the door slid shut Ino began to hum happily as she watered the flowers around the shop.

"See Shikamaru…we DO make a cute couple!" she snickered after a moment and placed the watering can down beside her.

_So she heard us..._

"Ino…don't even joke about that…" Shikamaru threw her a look and his friend stuck out her tongue in response.

"Don't be so dramatic! It'll only be for a month or so…until daddy stops butting into my dating affairs that is…"

"He wouldn't have to do that if it weren't for you screwing every guy you date…" the pineapple-haired boy shot back accusingly.

Ino's pleased look switched to shock and she turned around to meet his gaze.

"What?! I don't screw **_every_** guy I date!" she defended as a frown settled across her features.

Shikamaru backed away and raised his hands defensively in front of him.

"Ok, Ok…I'm sorry…I meant _**almost**_ every guy you date…happy now?"

The blonde threw the genius a fierce look and she crossed her arms above her chest.

"Just because I get some, it doesn't give you a right to take your envy out on ME!" she harrumphed and busied herself with a dying bouquet of flowers. Shikamaru felt the need to roll his eyes once again.

"Besides…like I said before…you should be happy that you could come even this close to 'getting some' with me!" Ino cackled into her hand and Shikamaru screwed his face into a look of displeasure.

"Ugh, Ino! Didn't I just tell you not to joke about these things?"

Ino retorted by sticking her tongue out defiantly at him.

"Whatever…just know that you and I are stuck together for the next few months…" she commented and twirled a rose between her fingers. Shikamaru leant against the counter in exasperation.

"Yeah…right…explain to me again how this all happened again?"

Ino sighed and and walked over to the counter to throw the flowers away in a small trash can at the back of the store. When she came back from her errand she took a seat on her stool and made herself comfortable. The blonde seemed to be engrossed with her thoughts before her eyes fixed on Shikamaru's and she began her explanation.

"Well…daddy has been chasing off all of my dates recently…"

"Because he found that pregnancy test in your drawer…"

A pause.

"Uh…right…so anyways…ever since then he's been trying to prevent me from dating other boys and it's getting on my nerves and--"

"Of course…since you're an attention whore and all…"

Ino paused again but this time glared at Shikamaru making the boy quickly shut up.

"As I was saying…so then I had an idea that if I dated someone he knew and had no problem with then he would get off my case. And that's where you come in…"

Shikamaru seemed to have missed the meaning of her words because he had pointed at himself and repeated "me?"

Ino nodded. "Yup, you"

"Wait…why me? Why not…I don't know…Chouji or something?" the boy asked perturbed as he crossed his arms above his chest.

"Chouji and I? Sorry, but if it was us then we would both feel awkward and my plan wouldn't carry out successfully…" Ino answered dryly and examined her nails coolly before pulling out her magazine once again.

"And you thought WE wouldn't be awkward together?" Shikamaru asked plainly as he pointed from him to her to emphasize his point. The girl made no sudden reaction and she merely kept her eyes locked on the magazine.

"Actually, to be honest, I wouldn't mind…"

Shikamaru openly gawked at her and wondered how she could keep such straight face when his was starting to turn pink. He shook his head and waved a dismissive hand her way.

"Ok, ok…this is getting all too troublesome and weird for me so I'm going to ignore your last comment…now anywho…your dad ACTUALLY trusts me with you?" he asked slightly amused. Ino nodded.

"Yup…I heard from my mom that our dads have wanted us to get married for a long while now"

And yet her face still remains unfazed!

Shikamaru snapped out of his train of thought and placed his forefinger and thumb on his temple to rub it gently while letting out a restrained sigh.

"...how troublesome…"

Ino lifted her eyes off the magazine article and gazed at him questioningly.

"What's this? You're not going to retaliate?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and a frown appeared on his face.

"No…because I'm smart enough to know that I'm already too involved in it and that you will probably use some sort of blackmail against me and/or kill me if I don't do it…"

Ino's slightly surprised expression faded and she smiled at him sweetly. She propped her elbows on the counter and cupped her chin in her hands. Her cerulean orbs locked with his onyx ones and she smirked playfully.

"Good! I'm glad you see things my way!"

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Okay so it's a typical cliche story...so sue me (What good story hasn't been thought up already?)...

Edit 5/31


	2. Lie 1: CONTRACT

Disclaimer: Naruto and co do NOT belong to me...

An update already? Wow…Halloween IS scary! -snickers-

HAPPY HALLOWEEN YOU GUYZ!

_**Lie 1- Contract**_

17 year old Ino Yamanaka stared blankly at the piece of paper that was placed down before her in question.

"What's this?"

Shikamaru Nara sighed in response and pulled out the chair across from hers, taking a seat.

"What does it _**look**_ like?" he asked calmly as he brought his teacup to his lips. She raised a brow.

"I don't know…that's why I _**asked **_you…"

It only took one look into Shikamaru's eyes to tell her that he was not in the mood to play verbal games today and she immediately looked away.

"A…" the blonde started as she looked over the measly piece of parchment and read the underlined bold print at the top.

"…contract?"

"Bingo"

"What? Why?"

"To set some ground rules about our…'relationship'…"

Ino seemed speechless for a moment but a sloppy grin began to take shape on her features.

"You're _**really**_ getting into this aren't you?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and propped his feet on the table while leaning back in his chair.

"Whatever, I just want to name my terms before I agree to this 'dating' thing"

Ino pursed her lips together cutely and she reached out to grab the piece of paper for better observation. Shikamaru relaxed in his seat.

"I mean…you didn't actually think I'd let you easily use me did you? Ever heard of equivalent exchange Ino?"

"Yeah, yeah whatever…what I _**really **_want to know right now is if THE Nara Shikamaru actually wrote this out by himself? I mean…it even looks like a contract with its calligraphy and all. I--!"

Shikamaru sighed and resisted the urge to face-palm himself.

"Actually, yes…I _**did**_ write it…now shut up and let me begin…" he interrupted before she could carry on her unnecessary ranting.

The florist wrinkled her nose and she began to read over Shikamaru's small list of 'rules' as he recited them aloud.

"Rule number one, I will only hold hands and accept kisses on the cheek…nothing more…"

Ino's eyes lifted from off the paper to his face.

"What? You can't do that! That's what _**friends**_ can even do!"

Shikamaru shrugged in response.

"Either that or you find yourself another boyfriend whom your father can trust…"

Ino seemed to ponder the thought in her head before finally succumbing to his term and she nodded reluctantly.

"Fine…but it's not like I **_wanted_** to do anything 'more' with you anyways…" she retorted haughtily. Shikamaru quirked a brow.

"Really? Good to know..." The chunin nodded in understanding.

"Secondly, don't expect me to shower you with gifts and all that troublesome stuff…because I won't"

"What! But that's what _**boyfriend's **_are _**supposed**_ to do!"

"Tough luck…"

Ino pouted and turned her head away defiantly.

"You **SUCK**!"

"Thanks, I try"

"Thirdly," the strategist began as he set his teacup down, "This 'deal' of ours will only last two months" Ino's eyes widened in horror.

"NO! You _**can't**_ be serious! That's only two months to fool around!" she intervened as she slapped her hand on the table angrily. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at her and gave her a look.

"Look, the only point of this whole deal is so that you can go off with your 'harem' of boys while your father thinks that you're with me and I can't cover for you for the rest of my life…" Shikamaru reasoned knowingly.

The blonde furrowed her brows and she slumped in her chair grumpily.

"You can try…" she mumbled sourly as she crossed her arms. Shikamaru threw her a blank stare.

"No, I can't. I don't know if you're aware of it but I _**do**_ have a life too Ino…" Shikamaru shot back matter-of-factly. Upon seeing his friend's unhappy face he sighed once again.

"Look...Why don't you just make your relationships last longer? Like _**normal **_people?"

"A week is normal!"

"Normal?! I'm surprised you haven't finished dating all the guys in Konoha at the rate you're going!" he retorted sarcastically. Ino pouted again and crossed her arms under her breasts.

"Well…so what?! I'm a teenager! I don't know what love is yet! You can't expect me to just choose one guy this early in my life!" She answered back truthfully and glared at him.

Shikamaru shrugged, not caring what her lame excuses were.

"Well then, I suggest you choose your 'soulmate' over the next two months because I'm _**not **_going to help you out anymore"

Ino's face turned grim and she shook her hands violently underneath the table. When it seemed that Shikamaru wouldn't change his mind she groaned and looked away.

"Nrghhh…I hate you!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Right--_**moving along**_… Rule four, do not tell anyone of this deal"

"Why would I?"

"Just making sure. Rule five, Try not to get caught 'cheating' on me…who knows how that'll affect MY reputation"

Ino rolled her sky blue eyes but silently agreed nevertheless.

"Rule six, if word about our deal should leak out; do not--and I repeat! DO NOT handle it by yourself! Just wait for me and I'll deal with it"

Ino's brows furrowed once again and she stared into his raven eyes.

"Are you trying to tell me that I'd only make matters worst?" she questioned coldly.

"Excellent! I'm glad we understand each other…" Shikamaru replied flatly and watched the ceiling absentmindedly.

"Don't get smart with me!" The blonde spat angrily as she glared daggers at the boy and slammed her palms on her dining room table.

"Well Ino, it's kind of hard _**not **_to be with my IQ being over 200 and all…"

Before the blonde could come up with a witty comeback, Shikamaru cleared his throat and began reading the last rule out loud.

"And finally, Rule 7, after these two months pass and when everything is over, we'll go on with our regular lives and act as if nothing happened…"

Ino's comeback died on her lips and she stared at him quietly, her expression for once incomprehensible.

"Well…I don't think anything will actually happen between us anyway besides some awkward moments…" she commented dryly. The shogi player shrugged in response.

"You can never be too careful…"

Ino eyed him curiously but shook her head dismissively all the same.

"Okay…So what now? We have to sign it?" the mind user inquired as she leaned back in her seat. Shikamaru nodded and reached into his vest pocket to pull out two pens.

"Here, I made two copies so we both can have one" he explained casually as he handed her the writing utensil. Ino took the pen wordlessly and she sat upright, glancing at the dotted line at the bottom of the paper.

She held her hand just above the line and the tip of the pen had barely made contact with the paper before she paused suddenly.

"Is it just me or does this feel like one of those 'signing your soul to the devil' kind of situations?" her voice spoke amusingly. Shikamaru snorted as he too paused and briefly traded looks with her.

"That's _**my**_ line…" he muttered blankly before hastily scribbling his signature down on the document.

X

O

X

"I'm home!" Shikamaru grumbled lazily as he entered the front door to his house. The chunin lazily took off his shoes and trekked towards the kitchen, hoping that a fully cooked meal was waiting for him when he entered.

Yoshino responded with a quick "welcome home" and her head turned to watch her son flop down lazily on one of the dining room chairs.

"Is lunch ready yet?" he asked hungrily as a delightful aroma filled his nostrils.

As troublesome as he knew she was, Shikamaru's mother made up for it by her cooking talents…of course he would never tell her that in person…

"Almost…where have you been all morning?"

Shikamaru eyed a juicy looking apple sitting idly in the fruit basket on the table and reached for it slowly.

"At Ino's…" was his automatic response as he shined the fruit with his sleeve and bit into it hungrily.

Before his mother could interrogate him further Shikamaru added,

"We were just out training"

Yoshino turned around and examined him skeptically but figured that he was telling the truth so she turned back to her pot of stew.

"You know Shikamaru…I know you and Ino just started dating and all but I just wanted to let you know--"

The strategist chewed on his apple leisurely and picked this time to zone her out because frankly, he already had a hunch on what his mother was going to talk to him about. His stomach suddenly began to feel queasy and he knew then that it was not because of the apple either…

The shadow user's 'troublesome' alert rang loud and clear in his head and he quietly lifted himself out of his seat mumbling a quick excuse before his mother could start one of _**those**_ talks…

The boy threw the finished apple in the trash can and slowly climbed the wooden stairs. He could vaguely hear his mother mumbling some unkind words about him involving the words "good for nothing" and "lazy".

The 17 year old rolled his eyes and pushed the door to his bedroom open with haste, slamming it shut to irritate his mother on purpose.

As if right on cue he hears his mother shout "Don't slam the door!"

Shikamaru smiled lazily and collapsed onto his bed with a soft thump. Why should he need to listen to one of _**those**_ talks when he had no intention of doing anything with Ino to begin with? Of course other people were oblivious to the deal and even if he did like Ino and WAS actually dating her (which he wasn't), he would never have _**those**_ thoughts about her…at least not this early in a relationship anyways…

Shikamaru turned over on his side and fished inside his pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper.

_The contract…_

He immediately frowned at the troublesome item and held it away from him as if it carried the plague.

The chunin was about to throw it on his nightstand when the thought of his parents discovering it crossed his mind. He sat up unwillingly and scratched his head in a thoughtful gesture. Shikamaru then proceeded to glance around as if searching for something and he let his eyes roam the many objects in his room.

After finding nothing that would satisfy his search, he took the document in his hand and slipped it into the crack between his bed and the wall.

"That should be fine for the time being…" The coal-eyed boy muttered as he fought off a yawn and crashed against his comfy sheets once again, rubbing his temples gently.

The day wasn't even over yet and he still felt exhausted beyond belief.

He let out a sigh and closed his eyes briefly while recalling Ino's last few words to him.

X

O

X

_**(-FLASHBACK-)**_

"Oh! Shikamaru wait!" The blonde tugged on the back of his vest as his foot descended on the small step outside of the Yamanaka front door. The boy in turn sighed and turned around reluctantly.

"What?" he grumbled, slightly annoyed. She smiled sweetly.

"**You. me. date. tomorrow. twelve. be there.**"

And without waiting for a response, the blonde turned on her heel and slammed the door in front of the boy's face.

Shikamaru stood there stock still as if his head _**hadn't**_ processed the information yet.

It had always amazed Shikamaru how such little words coming from Ino's mouth could somehow manage to speak volumes in his ears...

_**(-END FLASHBACK-)**_

X

O

X

Shikamaru lie there motionlessly as he shielded his eyes with the back of his arm.

He sighed for the umpteenth time today and smoothed back his hair with his hand.

"Troublesome…" he mumbled as his eyes lingered over to the small crack between his bed and wall.

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_**Tsuzuku...**_

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YAY! The first _**Lie**_ is out! (the last one was a prologue mind you…) I can't believe it! I never knew I was capable of updating this fast! LOL! Anyways, make a mark on your calendar folks cuz Wednesday will now be known as "Usotsuki Update Day"! If I **_don't_** make the deadline then check back to my profile for details or just wait patiently!

I'm thinking this story may have roughly 25-30 chapters but it may change…

Oh…and sorry my chapters are short but the shorter the chapters are the quicker and on time my updates will be!

Tell me your opinions please! I'd loved to hear your comments and criticisms so I can improve my stories!

edit 5/31


	3. Lie 2: DATING

_**Lie 2- Dating**_

Nara Shikamaru paused mid-step as he reached the front steps of the very intimidating Yamanaka household. He closed his eyes and muttered a quick benediction as he placed his almost sweaty hand on the cool doorknocker. As he did this he stopped and a realization of sorts concluded in his mind.

What exactly was he doing here at twelve o'clock sharp?

As he recalled in his memories, Ino did not wait for his reply to see if he would come or not. She had just mumbled a bunch of words and left him hanging. So with that analyzed, did he _**really**_ have to be here? He never even said he was coming so obviously it wouldn't be his fault if he came or not. And why should he let her boss him around? He was seventeen damnit and he wasn't going to take this crap from anyone! Especially from a _**girl**_!!

Finally riled up with self-assurance Shikamaru retracted his hand away and began to turn around, deciding that he would just go back home.

"Ah! Shikaku's boy? You here to see Ino?" a teasing voice spoke out from behind him. The chunin managed to suppress his yelp and turned around slowly.

"…Good afternoon Mr. Yamanaka…" he muttered quickly as his heart thumped rapidly within his chest from shock.

"Well, Ino should be home right now, why don't you go check up on her?"

Shikamaru stared at Inoichi as if he had sprouted wings and was wearing a tutu. _**This**_ was the same man who threatened him day in and day out to stay away from his precious daughter five years ago? _**This **_was the man who had always eyed him and Chouji suspiciously when they would come to pick her up? _**This**_ was…well, you get the point.

Shikamaru coughed as he snapped back to reality and accepted Inoichi's offer unwillingly.

Inoichi smiled pleasantly at him and patted the boy on the back, leading him inside the Yamanaka home. Shikamaru couldn't help but glance warily at Inoichi's hand, thinking that this was all a prank and Ino's dad was actually taking him to a torture room…

…which would be _**in **_character for the most overprotective father in all of Konoha…

Shikamaru looked at the man's big calloused hand again and then at his smiling happy go lucky face…

_Wait until Chouji gets a load of this…_

"Ino sweetheart! Shikamaru's here to see you!" the older man called up the stairs as the said visitor took a seat on the living room couch.

Shikamaru paused at the man's words and turned around to stare at Inoichi suspiciously. Did his ears hear right? Did Ino's dad just call him by his _**name**_?? Of course not…maybe he was just imagining it…Inoichi Yamanaka _**never**_ called Shikamaru by his name. All of his life the strategist could remember being referred to as "Shikato's kid", "boy", and his all time favorite "Hey, you".

The shadow user eyed the living room carefully, half expecting to see Naruto or Kiba hiding behind the curtains with a camera. His suspicions quickly dispersed however, when Ino's rushed footsteps resounded from the second floor. He listened intently as the soft thuds left the room above and started down the staircase in seconds. When Ino appeared in front of him the chunin couldn't help but regret ever coming to this cursed place.

Why?

Because Ino was still in her silk night gown.

And before conclusions are made; no, it was not because he was 'embarassed', after all it was _**only**_ Ino. It was, in fact, because of what he feared Inoichi would do to him in about three seconds. After all, the _**last**_ time this uneventful episode happened, he simply recalled being dubbed a 'pervert' (as to which he had replied with an "Eh?") and almost having a restraining order placed on him.

So it clearly made sense when Shikamaru had prepared for the worst by shielding his very delicate face.

When the boy felt no beating after a whole two minutes, he carefully removed his arms away and peered at the two blondes. He watched as Ino stared at him as if wondering why he was sitting in her living room until yesterdays events had finally decided to grace her presence and her mouth opened in a slight 'o' shape. Ino bit her lip nervously and told him to wait while she went and got dressed.

Shikamaru wanted to protest and tell her that if she left him with her father there was no telling what would happen.

And he was right.

Although in a slightly different way then expected…

X

O

X

"About time! I'm glad you came before your dad started talking to me about my 'plans for our future'!!" Shikamaru moaned as he shook his head in his palm.

Ino sniggered as she and Shikamaru walked down the bustling street that led to Ichiraku. The blonde glanced at him before speaking up.

"Oh come on, I was surprised too you know…I never knew daddy could be this nice to a _**boy**_!" She laughed again mischievously and jabbed the boy in the ribs lightly. Shikamaru frowned at her playful tone and simply rolled his eyes.

"Anyway…I'm surprised you actually showed…" the mind user continued as she stretched her arms out with a yawn. Shikamaru raised an inquisitive brow skywards.

_Damn…so I __shouldhave__ stayed home today…_

"Well…did I really have a choice?"

Ino smiled.

"No…you didn't"

"Right"

"Well anyways, let's get something to eat! I'm starving!" Ino announced as they reached the ramen shop and she lifted the flap.

Upon entering, the 'couple' came across team 7.

"Ah! If it isn't the lovebirds!" Naruto piped up as he slurped up his ramen hungrily. Sakura and Sai instinctively turned towards the two team ten members and the roseate gave them an all knowing smirk.

"On a _**date**_ you two?" she asked teasingly, putting as much emphasis on the 'date' part as much as she could.

"Huh? Of course we're no—OOF!" Ino gasped as a certain shinobi's elbow came into contact with her side. She glared at Shikamaru from the corner of her eye when his focus remained on the other three.

"Of course we _**are**_" he corrected flatly as he moved to sit next to Naruto.

Ino made a move to sit next to Sai but rethought the decision. She sighed reluctantly and sat next to Shikamaru.

Unspoken words were exchanged between the two as team seven began a light conversation amongst the group.

_I can't believe you forgot…_

_Well __**sorry**__! My mind can't seem to remember the fact that we're dating now…I'll try to remember next time._

_Don't bother, it'd be better if you __**didn't.**_

His silent words made Ino frown in response and she tried not to let him get under her skin.

"--right Ino?" Sakura questioned after finishing her explanation. Ino flinched a little and her eyes shifted to Sakura involuntarily.

"Yeah, sure" the blonde calmly retorted and stared absentmindedly as Sakura ranted on again about how there wasn't any good missions lately or something like that.

Shikamaru rested his elbow on the counter, cupping his chin in his palm while he waited for his order of ramen. He suddenly felt eyes on him and lifted his gaze off the wall to stare into a pair of onyx orbs like his own.

"What?" he asked bluntly when he noticed it was Sai who was staring at him. Sai didn't care to notice his rudeness and looked over from Ino to him.

"Good for you"

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed at the socially challenged boy but couldn't detect any hidden meaning within his words. He threw the boy one last glare before resuming his staring contest with the wall. Something about the new team seven member just irked him...

As their orders finally came team seven chose the opportunity to leave claiming that they had training to do. Shikamaru merely rolled his eyes when he heard Sakura mumble something to her teammates about 'giving them alone time'.

"What're you so grumpy about? Disappointed that this date isn't what you expected it to be?" Ino's playful voice reeled him back to his situation at hand and he turned around to eye her questioningly.

"What?" he asked automatically, his voice perplexed even though he knew well what Ino was implying.

"Aww come on Shikamaru! Admit that you were looking forward to today!" she said in a sing song voice.

The shadow user ate his ramen calmly as he ignored her stupid words.

_Troublesome..._

"Ah! I knew it! You _**liiiike**_ me!" she teased again as she poked him in the ribs and a giggle escaped her lips. Shikamaru finished his ramen with ease and gently placed his chopsticks on the bowl.

"I'm leaving" he declared calmly as he pushed his chair back to get out of his seat and he slapped a few bills on the table. Ino frowned slightly when she momentarily noticed that it was only enough to pay for _**his **_meal. As the chunin turned to leave, the blonde quickly finished her ramen and fished out a few bills from her purse to pay for her meal. She thanked Teuchi hurriedly and followed the boy out of the shop.

"Shikamaru!" she called out to him as he quietly made his way home.

"Hey!" she yelled beside him as she latched on to his arm trying to get him to stop. Her plan proved somewhat successful when he paused in mild surprise. He glared down at their intertwined arms but said nothing of it when he continued to walk again.

"Ugh don't be angry…can't you take a joke?" Ino frowned as she looked into his eyes. Shikamaru ignored her gaze and his eyes remained locked on the road. The blonde pouted and after a few moments of thinking she leant her head on his broad shoulder.

She felt the shadow user stiffen at the sudden contact and she inwardly snickered.

He was just too cute!

Shikamaru's cheeks turned pink from embarrassment when he heard Ino's slight muffled laughter on his arm. He glared at her grumpily. She would pay for making fun of him…

"So...is our 'date' over? Can I go home now?" Shikamaru muttered as he ignored the amusing looks the civilians gave the so called couple. Ino straightened up and looked at him.

"What! No! It's FAR from it!" she replied astounded and the boy sighed in response. Ino looked at his scowl and giggled.

"I'm joking…Just come with me to one store and I'll let you off the hook…" The cloud gazer stared at her stunned and resisted the urge to say "who _**are**_ you?!".

"Uh, alright…" he uttered befuddled and followed Ino as she dragged him along…

X

O

X

_Damnit, and I thought accompanying her to __**shopping**__ would be the worst she could do!_

Shikamaru sighed as he stood watch at the front of the store Twin Bells and waited until Ino finished making out with the young store clerk out back.

"Damnit Ino…" Shikamaru screwed his face up unpleasantly as he tapped his fingers impatiently on his leg. Like he didn't have any other better things to do then cover for her scandal. He stuffed his hands in his pockets grumpily and leaned back against the counter of the store.

_If lover boy in there ever spills our secret to the public he is DEAD!_

Shikamaru's senses returned when he heard the closing of a door behind him and he didn't need to turn around to know that the two were fixing their clothes. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and started for the door as Ino's soon to be ex muttered sweet nothings in her ear and she giggled girlishly.

As soon as the bells on the front door rang out signaling a customer, the blonde immediately rushed over to Shikamaru's side and clutched his arm 'lovingly'.

"That was a close one…" Ino whispered as she gave her boyfriend (her REAL one) a wink and walked out of the store with Shikamaru.

When the two were finally a good deal away from the crowded area Shikamaru decided to speak his opinion.

"Look, I don't mind your affairs but next time could you _**not**_ drag me along with you?" The shadow user pointed out as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Ino pouted and her arm remained latched onto his.

"But Shika! I need you to be my lookout!" she protested and waved to a few of the town girls as they neared her house.

Ino had ordered him to walk her home since it was 'gentlemanly' and 'the right thing' to do. The boy rolled his eyes.

"You do know the consequences of letting your boyfriends know that we aren't a real couple right? " he inquired as they reached the steps to the Yamanaka household.

"Yeah yeah, alright…I'll be more careful!" The blue-eyed lass rolled her eyes before plugging her ears childishly. Shikamaru grunted at her immaturity level.

When Ino turned around to go inside she felt Shikamaru's hand grab hold of her wrist. The blonde turned around and gave him a puzzled look.

"What?"

"Don't I get to kiss you goodbye?"

It took Ino a moment to register his words completely.

"Wha-WHAT?!"

Shikamaru looked at her as if he said nothing out of the ordinary.

"Just shut up and close your eyes!" he finally requested again in an annoyed tone.

Her mind went blank and the blonde found herself obeying nevertheless. She sucked in a nervous breath and closed her eyes slowly...

Shikamaru smirked in response and looked her over before taking action.

_**FLICK!**_

"Ouch!"

Shikamaru's face grew grim and he backed away from her casually.

"IDIOT, did you really think I was going to kiss you?" he **_almost_** sneered but felt it too out of character to do so.

Ino rubbed her forehead in pain and glared at Shikamaru as he walked down the small path leading outside of her property.

"Arghhh!! You jerk! That hurt!!" she called out as her cheeks flushed. When the chunin didn't look back she turned in a huff and entered her house, slamming the front door behind her.

Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pockets, smiling smugly as he made his way home.

Revenge was _**sweet!

* * *

**_

**Phew! I almost didn't make the deadline! I totally rushed the ending so I'll edit it tomorrow! Well hopefully they're aren't much mistakes on it…well until next time!**

**Dang I wonder if i can make the next deadline? hahaha...cuz i don't have the next two chapters outlined yet...Arghh! i really wanna start the -INSERT SPOILER- Arc so badly! That's around chapter 13 i think? hehe**

**Review so i can feel loved!**

**-edit 11/8- Went back and fixed some spelling/grammer stuff and other sentences that made absolutely no sense...**

**edit 5/31**


	4. Lie 3: GIRLFRIEND

_**Lie 3- Girlfriend**_

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

The insistent alarm clock buzzed loudly in the ears of Nara Shikamaru at 8 AM. The clump of mass concealed within the blankets seemed unaffected by the alarm and continued to snooze peacefully under the sanctuary of his covers.

When a few good minutes passed and his implicit wish of having the bell turned off by some unexplainable miracle appeared with negative results, Shikamaru unwillingly stretched his arm out of the covers. He let out an exasperated groan as he tried his best to reach for his night stand with as less effort as possible. He waved his hand around carelessly and incoherent words formed at the back of his throat when he met nothing but air.

Shikamaru's brows creased together in irritation as his hand continued to meet nothing but the wood of his stand and he was starting to wonder if he should just let the thing be.

_Where is that damn alarm clock?!_

He was finally pleased to feel the rectangular object within his reach and a sigh of relief escaped his lips as he slammed his palm on the button silencing the wretched invention once and for all.

Shikamaru quickly retracted his hand and sunk further within his sheets. With a small grunt he turned on his side that faced the blank wall hoping to catch a few more z's.

A somewhat content smile formed on his lips as he found his solace and he snuggled into his fluffy pillow awaiting a ticket for dreamland.

_BEEEEEP! BEEEEEP! BEEEEEP!_

As if on impulse, the chunin groaned loudly as he once again turned over on his side unwillingly. He opened his eyes to peek out of the covers towards the sound of his irritation and muttered curses. He had completely forgotten about the damn _second_ alarm clock his mother had set up!

The shadow user lay there motionlessly, watching the clock as if staring at it would shut it up. He let out another sigh and groggily rose from his bed until he sat up right. The chunin allowed a yawn to escape and covered his mouth with his hand.

He sat there until the persistent beeping could be ignored no longer and looked over to his weapons pouch hanging limply on his bed post. He then looked back and forth from the pouch and the clock again wondering if throwing a kunai at it would make a wise decision.

Of course it wasn't. If he had broken it his mother would surely yell at him and make him go buy another one. Not to mention the lecture he would get for destroying another one.

Yes, _**another **_one.

The third one to be exact.

With the last thought floating around in his mind the shadow user swung his legs over his bed and forced himself to stand up. His light footsteps floated quickly across his wooden floorboards until they stopped just next to his desk. The alarm clock was turned off with a small click and Shikamaru scratched his head as if wondering how the hell he ended up at his desk when he could have sworn he was lying down on his bed just seconds ago.

With a lazy shrug he silently grabbed his towel off his chair and trudged towards the bathroom.

X

O

X

The smell of breakfast was the last thing that finally got Shikamaru to wake up enough to be called sober and he then realized just how hungry he was.

"Morning…" he muttered to his parents as he took his seat at the dining room table.

Yoshino uttered a greeting to her son as she flipped a pancake and placed it on the glass plate. Shikaku on the other hand merely grunted from behind the newspaper he was currently engulfed in.

"So dear…" Yoshino began as she set his plate down before him with a small clink.

Shikamaru stiffened at the tone of his mother's voice. It was the same tone she would use in her attempts at "parent/child" bonding time. He shivered involuntarily and forked the sausages in his mouth, hoping that he wouldn't have to utter a word.

"How was your date with Ino?" she asked casually and Shikamaru decided it was best to remain calm. Her words must have been news to Shikaku because the man had slightly shifted his newspaper so he could peer at his son.

When Shikamaru realized that his mother was actually expecting an answer he swallowed his food slowly and started to grow an interest in his plate.

"It was…" He paused as if searching for the right words and picked at his bacon absentmindedly.

"…anomalous…" he concluded ever so slowly.

"I mean different…" the boy added when he received questionable looks from both his parents. Yoshino seemed to ponder the thought in her head before questioning her son once again.

"Different?" she repeated slowly.

"Yup" he replied coolly as he quickly ate his breakfast to make his escape.

"How so?"

It was Shikaku's turn to ask. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. This was the first time his lazy father had shown any interest in his son's love affairs.

_Probably just worried about the consequences if we were to break up…_

"No need to worry about me breaking up with Ino old man…" Shikamaru shot back casually as he shoved a pancake in his mouth hastily. Shikaku blinked at his spawn's words and a smirk settled across his rugged features.

"What makes you think I'm worried about myself?" the older Nara responded easily, his tone full of amusement. Shikamaru gave his father a scowl and scraped the last bits of eggs into his mouth.

"Whatever…I have a feeling we'll be together for awhile…" Shikamaru concluded half-truthfully as he set his fork on his plate and rose from his seat.

Well, two months was _**awhile**_ right?

The chunin briskly walked over to the sink and made his exit before either one of his parents could have a say on the matter. As he grabbed his pouch from off the couch he could vaguely hear his dad letting out a triumphant "I knew this day would come" laugh from the dining room.

The shadow user sighed.

If only his father knew…

X

O

X

"Hey"

"Shikamaru? What're you doing here?"

The pineapple-haired boy threw his friend a blank stare and pushed passed Chouji to make his way into the formers house. The big-boned boy did not protest and instead shut the front door, following his friend up to his room wordlessly.

With a soft thud the Nara happily flopped onto Chouji's bed. His best friend had one of Konoha's softest and most relaxing beds he had always thought. The weight changer stood watching from his doorframe questioningly as his best friend made himself comfortable on _**his**_ bed.

"Uhh rough morning?" Chouji guessed as he sat on the floor at the foot of the bed. A short muffle came from the many covers and Chouji nodded intently understanding the words right away. Chouji had already mastered the language that was 'Shikamaru'.

"Well, I can't really help you so I'm sorry to hear that…" Chouji replied after a longer string of muffles and the boy offered his bag of chips to his exhausted friend. Shikamaru dove his hand into the bag and grabbed a chip before turning to lie on his back.

"Eh, there's nothing for you to apologize for" Shikamaru retorted as he popped the chip in his mouth.

The two stayed in a comfortable silence before Chouji decided to speak up.

"So…how's Ino?" the brunette asked with a hint of suggestiveness in his voice.

Shikamaru turned to his side, his back facing Chouji and groaned into the sheets.

"Why is everyone asking me that?!" He glared at nothing in particular and his memories recalled yesterday's events when Naruto and Kiba bombarded him with questions after they saw him dropping off the blonde.

Chouji's brow rose in question and he threw Shikamaru an amused look.

"Well you can't blame them, you guys ARE dating and we just want to know how your relationship is going" he shot back defensively as he munched on his chips.

"It's only been three days, that isn't enough time to establish how our relationship is doing…"

Chouji shrugged.

"I guess people are just surprised that you two are still together and more so that you two are even dating. I mean, even I was surprised that you took Ino to be your girlfriend"

Shikamaru let out an agreeing muffle and turned over to eye Chouji.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Ino can be so annoying sometimes. Like how she's so noisy and won't shut up. She's way too bossy and has no good qualities whatsoever. She's everything my ideal woman **_shouldn't_** be"... the seventeen year old commented dryly as he continued to count his teammate's bad points on his fingers. Chouji frowned slightly before crunching up his chip bag and tossing it into the wastebasket by his desk.

"If she's not your ideal woman then why are you even with her?"

Shikamaru froze as he mentally listed his fifteenth complaint and his best friend's words registered through his mind.

_Oh crap._

"That's because…" the shogi player started as he sat up straight on the Akimichi's bed. The boy turned to look Chouji in the eye seriously and paused for dramatic effect.

"My ideals were wrong...I _**love**_ her you idiot, good points and bad" he finished calmly and prayed that Chouji didn't pick out the slight strain in his voice when he had said the four letter L word.

The food lover paused and gawked at Shikamaru, his eyes full of something the cloud gazer could not interpret. The latter found himself swallowing nervously as his friend's eyes seemed to pierce through his entire being.

_Does he know…?_

A long suffocating silence settled across the room before anyone made a move to break it.

"Wow, I thought I'd never live to hear the day Shikamaru Nara actually admit to loving someone…would you mind saying it again so I can record it?"

A pause.

Shikamaru slapped his forehead and let out a sigh of relief as he collapsed on the bed, saying something into the pillow.

To others Shikamaru's answer would have confused them because of the pillow cutting his words short but to Chouji it was as if Shikamaru had spoken loud and clear.

"Shut up Chouji…"

And the size changer laughed in response, not missing the slight embarrassment in his best friend's muffle.

X

O

X

"Hi Shika!"

"…"

Shikamaru openly stared at the blonde in front of him as if she were an illusion. He even had the urge to wave his hand through the girl to see if she would disappear at his touch. When the blonde's smile snapped him back to reality the boy turned around to glare at his friend.

_I thought I __**told**__ you not to tell Ino I was here when she comes to your house!_

Chouji shrugged as he tried his best to hide his grin.

_Oops…it must've slipped my mind._

"Come on Shikamaru! You promised we could go on a date today!" Ino exclaimed giddily as she grabbed him by the arm and lifted him easily onto his feet. Shikamaru was too busy glaring at his traitorous friend to even be surprised by his "girlfriend's" strength.

_You'll __**pay **__for this!_

Shikamaru threw his friend one last glare before Ino took the liberty of dragging him out of Chouji's room and out of the Nara's safe house.

The Akimichi couldn't hold in his grin any longer and he waved to the couple as they made their way out of his house, shaking his head as he closed the front door.

Ino hummed a small tune as she pulled Shikamaru along the streets in a couple-like fashion. The chunin pointedly glared at their linked arms and wanted so badly to pull his away from hers.

It just felt so _**weird.**_

"What's this about a date? You never told me anything…" The shadow user protested as he allowed himself to be dragged along nevertheless.

"Tell you? Why would I need to tell you?" Ino questioned as she threw him a mystified look.

"Ah that's right…you're a dominatrix…" The shogi player grumbled and sighed inwardly.

"What's that?"

"Nothing"

Shikamaru sighed once again and threw his head up to watch the peaceful clouds drift by. His eyes lingered on the white cottony puffs with envy before shifting to look at the blonde whom he was now 'bonded' to.

It was hard to believe that this girl would be his girlfriend for the next two months.

The chunin's mouth curved downwards as he watched her happy-go-lucky smile and he couldn't help but wonder if she even thought of the consequences this deal could bring to them. He guessed not. After all Ino was a simple girl and all his life she had always been so positive and carefree. These were the qualities of hers that made Shikamaru relax and uneasy at the same time.

As he looked at their entwined hands (when did **_that_** happen?!) he couldn't help but hope that nothing bad would happen to them over the course of their 'relationship'.

He gave Ino another glance.

That nothing bad would happen to this '_**girlfriend**_' of his…

* * *

Foreshadowing perhaps??

edit 6/1


	5. Lie 4: BOYFRIEND

_**Lie 4- Boyfriend**_

"Hey Shikamaru…"

"…"

"Shikaaaaamaru…"

"…"

"Hey!"

Shikamaru Nara scowled at the loud blonde sitting across from him. He shifted slightly on the couch he was sitting on and brought his attention back to his book before replying gruffly.

"What?"

"I love you!" the blonde cooed sweetly and repositioned her legs so her chin could rest on her knees. She bit her lip cutely while giving him a suggestive look. The chunin paid no heed to her and continued to let his eyes roam along the many sentences in his book.

Ino pouted.

"Come on! no reaction? You're no fun…" the mind user whined as she stuck her tongue out at him.

Shikamaru sighed as he flipped to the next page of his book and leaned his cheek on his closed fist.

"Why would I have a reaction? I could tell you were faking it"

Ino let out an annoyed groan and leaned back against the couch, throwing her head back.

"That's why you're no fun!" She looked around the empty Nara household. "Where are your parents anyway?"

Shikamaru ignored her first comment and answered calmly "I dunno…out I guess…"

"How could they possibly be out in this weather?" Ino exclaimed as she pointed out the window of the Nara residence. The glass was blurred with water and light raindrops could be heard beating a rhythmic tune against the house.

Ino stared long and hard outside and frowned.

"Bahh I'm so bored! Let's go outside!" she whined again and looked over to her 'boyfriend' for permission. Shikamaru sighed again and gave her a brief glance.

"Be my guest…I won't let you back in though because you'll get my house dirty…" he answered calmly with his eyes now back on the pages of his book. Ino let out a frustrated groan and sunk lazily within the couch.

"Come on! You've been reading that book ever since I got here! Let's go play in the rain!" she suggested happily as she moved to sit next to her teammate. The blonde frowned when Shikamaru didn't acknowledge her proposition and she scooted over closer to him.

The boy once again did not take notice of their close proximity and chose to ignore her even more.

"Shikaaa! Come on! Pleeease??" Ino tried again as she leant her head against his shoulder. She heard Shikamaru hold back a growl and she began to smile quietly.

The chunin shifted his shoulder slightly before turning to face her.

"Two points Ino. Firstly, I do _**NOT**_ play in the rain and secondly, I told you we didn't have to act like a couple when no one is around…" he complained in annoyance but made no move to push her away. It was such a waste of energy to do so anyways. Ino gave him a little pout and watched his eyes carefully.

"Who said I was acting…?"

The shadow user shook his head and sighed in defeat.

"Troublesome…"

Ino smiled back in response and closed her eyes as she snuggled closer to him.

After a few minutes passed in silence she opened her eyes again and shifted her head slightly to look at her temporary boyfriend. Shikamaru seemed oblivious to her eyes and Ino had to wonder what book it was he was reading that could hold his attention for so long. What amazed her most was that she didn't even know Shikamaru liked to read in the first place.

"Why don't you go hang out with one of your real boyfriends?" he recommended casually as he peered at her from behind his novel. Ino seemed to ponder her answer before her lips parted to speak.

"Because they're not as fun as being with you…" she answered teasingly and couldn't help but wonder about the half truth in her statement. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and folded the top corner of his page in silence.

"Seriously? I'm flattered, really…" he commented dryly. Ino let out a snicker and gracefully stood up from her seat.

"Come on! Let's go play outside!" she asked once again and extended her hand out to his.

Shikamaru closed his book with his left hand and placed it down on the stand beside him. He turned back around and stared at Ino's hand dumbly. When the blonde made another gesture to have him take her hand again he sighed and reached his hand out to hers.

His hand stretched out as if to grasp Ino's but in the end he only gave her palm a light tap with his fingers.

"Nah, I think I'll just go take a nap…" he shrugged and helped himself off of the couch calmly. Ino frowned slightly as she watched Shikamaru lazily make his way up the stairs.

As the shogi player walked the few steps to his room he could vaguely hear the sound of his front door slamming shut. Shikamaru scratched his head and opened the door to his sanctuary with small effort. He knew it was mean of him to reject Ino's offer but in all honesty he wanted to play this game of 'boyfriend' as less as possible.

He rubbed the back of his head and yawned as he made his way through his dark room.

"She probably just went out to find one of her boyfriends…"

With a flop on his bed he was out like a light.

X

O

X

Ino sighed in content as her feet led her to some unknown place. She didn't care for the fact that she was getting absolutely soaked or the fact that she had no idea where she was. She often found the rain peaceful unlike others who would stray away from the sight of it. She never understood why people would run away from the rain as if the touch of it would burn their skin. Frankly, she loved the feel of the rain; actually she loved everything about it. Of course her past self would fully object and complain that her new outfit would get dirty.

Ino's steps slowed until she stood in the middle of the street and she held her face upwards, watching as the ominous grey clouds made their way across the skies. She smiled at the sky as the raindrops fell consistently on her face, cooling her skin as they streamed down.

Something about the rain was just so relaxing. It always calmed her down and she would always find herself thinking more clearly.

She closed her eyes and listened to the light 'sha' of the rain and resumed her walk.

She was a little displeased that Shikamaru didn't take her up on her offer. It was the first time a boy had actually resisted her puppy dog pout. But then again, it was just Shikamaru's nature to refuse anything troublesome so it would be unfair to include him as one of her 'boys'. She hated to admit it but she had hoped he would come along. Not that she liked him that way or anything. Nope. Far from it actually. It was just that Shikamaru and Chouji had been with her for so long that she found herself comfortable in their presence. Lately it was never just "Hey Ino" anymore but "Hey Ino and Chouji" or "Hey Ino and Shikamaru". It was a rare occasion when she was by herself. After Asuma's death team ten had never been as close as they were now. They were, after all, the best team when it came to teamwork.

Ino hummed a small tune as she treaded along. The cold was starting to get to her but she didn't mind.

It had surprised her when Shikamaru actually decided to play along with her scam. She had expected he would tell her dad the truth right away to save his sorry butt. The mind user smiled as she hopped in a puddle, splashing her shoes until they became soggy.

She could still remember that day so clearly.

X

O

X

_**(-OH! A FLASHBACK!-)**_

"I'm not going today" the hot headed blonde confessed when she swung open her front door to reveal her childhood friend. The Nara spawn stared at her incredulously.

"What?"

"Training. I'm not going" she stated again with her voice as flat as a sheet of paper. At her comment the chunin groaned and cursed Chouji for making him walk all the way here to pick up the blonde.

"And why not? You've skipped out on training for the past four days already" he declared accusingly. Ino shrugged in response and opened the door to allow the strategist in.

"I can't go. I have a date"

Shikamaru wanted to groan again but restrained himself and instead rolled his eyes.

"And you wonder why you're the weakest kunoichi in Konoha" he muttered quietly and paused after the words registered completely.

Uh-oh. He had just committed the biggest taboo…

Ino turned to face him quickly.

"NARA SHIKAMARU I AM _**NOT**_ WEAK!" she hollered as she glared threatening daggers at the boy. The chunin in turn swallowed nervously and began to back up slowly.

"Yeah right and that explains your lack of missions"

Oh _**good gods**_ did he need to learn to keep his smart mouth **shut**…

Ino's fists shook in anger and he could tell that she was at her limit of toleration. Before the blonde could chew him out again a loud shout emanated from the floor above.

"INOOO!!"

They both stiffened at the sound of the voice as if it were a sign of an apocalypse.

Just as the two teens made a dash for the front door Inoichi's loud footsteps could be heard rushing swiftly down the stairs.

"Argh! Get out of my way!" Ino yelled as the two struggled to squeeze through the small door.

"Me?! You get out of _**my**_ way! What are _**you**_ running away for?!" Shikamaru countered as he tried to push Ino aside.

Amidst the childish chaos Inoichi had finally arrived before the two and now stood towering high above them. When Ino stopped moving at the sight of her father Shikamaru took his chance and made a dash for the door only to end up getting immediately hauled back inside by the blonde's strong grip.

Inoichi made no move to notice Shikamaru's presence and faced his daughter with anger.

"What is THIS?!" he asked grimly as he held a small device up to her face.

Ino paused and squinted at the object in his hand as if she had never seen it before in her life.

"Uhhh…thermometer?" she managed to say shakily and glared at Shikamaru when she heard him snicker mockingly.

"Don't play dumb with me young lady! What is a pregnancy test doing in your room?!" Inoichi tried again and tapped his foot impatiently on the floorboards. The louder the taps were the more she was reminded of a ticking time bomb.

"I think that's pretty self-explanatory sir-ugh!-" The chunin mumbled matter-of-factly and groaned when Ino jabbed her elbow into his delicate ribs.

"_**Daddy**_…it's not mine…I would never-" Ino paused when Shikamaru made a snorting sound and stomped on his foot as punishment. The chunin bit back his cry of pain and glowered beside her. Ino focused on her dad's eyes again with sadness and innocence.

"I would _**never**_ do anything like that daddy" she confessed sweetly and pouted as if she were being falsely accused.

"At least not on a daily basis I hope" came another interruption from the shadow user as he rubbed his foot to relieve the pain. Ino shot the boy another glare as if saying "Do you _**WANT **_to die young?!"

Inoichi ignored the boys comment mindlessly and cleared his throat.

"Yamanaka Ino…you should know better then to lie to me and that you WILL be punished severely when your mother gets home" The older Yamanaka spoke forbiddingly as he crossed his arms above his chest.

"For the time being you are grounded, the boy will just have to go to training without you"

At this comment Shikamaru resisted the urge to point out that she wasn't planning on going to train anyways. Ino looked at her father in disbelief.

"What?! Buh-But **_dad_**!" she protested and glared back at her father.

Shikamaru was about to leave the deathly atmospheric household until he felt Ino's grip tighten on his arm and in a swift motion he was turned around to stand beside her.

"But daddy! Shikamaru and I were about to leave for our _**date!**_" she pouted cutely and linked her arm with his.

At that moment Shikamaru's mind went blank and only one thought crossed his mind.

_What the hell? What does **this** have to do with anything??_

Apparently it had _**everything**_ to do with her situation as he would find it later to be Ino's trump card…

"Excuse me?" the chunin managed to choke out.

Inoichi's frown suddenly twisted into a surprised look and he gawked at the two teens. At first Shikamaru thought that Ino's plan was to have Inoichi's anger transferred to himself so she could easily escape her punishment but that proved not to be the case when Inoichi had walked up to the boy and enveloped him in his arms (much to his surprise and horror).

Once again Shikamaru's mind could not confer.

"Oh! is this true sweetie? You and Nara's son?!" the man that Shikamaru had found intimidating all his life said with glee. Inoichi finally released his bear hug on Shikamaru and placed his hands on Ino's shoulders joyfully.

"Oh sweetie I am so happy for you! I gotta see Nara about this!" Her father said in a congratulatory way and quickly disappeared out the front door, the pregnancy test long forgotten on the floor. Shikamaru watched in confusion as Ino unhooked her arms with his and skipped over to the floor where her tester lay. She picked it up with ease and threw it in the small wastebasket near the front door quickly making a note to hide it in a better place next time. As she treaded up the stairs to get ready for her date she glanced behind her at Shikamaru playfully. A small cynical grin graced her features before she turned around and trotted up the stairs, leaving the boy staring absentmindedly with his mouth agape.

_**(-END FLASHBACK-)**_

X

O

X

Ino giggled at the memory and she began to move back and forth on the swing she was currently occupying. The memory felt so long ago that it was hard to believe it had only happened just four days ago. The florist hummed a small tune and ignored the freezing sensation creeping into her body. In all truths she was freezing her butt off but she was just too lazy to move from this spot.

The blonde closed her eyes again and let out a sigh as her swing came to a halt and she closed her eyes to feel the light raindrops dancing across her face.

To her puzzlement the sensation stopped and she opened her eyes again to look up at the sky in question. Instead of meeting the large grey clouds like she had expected however she noticed that she was looking from the inside of an umbrella.

"You idiot, don't blame me if you catch a cold" a lazy mumble spoke from behind and the girl turned around to see the shadow user standing grumpily before her.

"Shikamaru!" she replied in mild surprise and abandoned her swing to face him.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were sleeping!" Ino questioned in awe as she linked arms with him and hid under the shelter of his umbrella. Shikamaru did not try to push her away but instead lead her towards his house.

"My troublesome mother came home and ordered me to get you after she saw you walking around" he muttered sleepily and was once again oblivious to their closeness. He was far too disoriented to do anything about it at the moment.

"Ugh you're freaking soaked to the bone!" he added in disgust as her wet shirt came into contact with his side. Ino threw her head back with laughter, her wet bangs framing her perfect face. That was so like Shikamaru.

"Well, doesn't it make me more attractive?" she questioned cutely and licked her moist lips seductively.

"No" came his automatic response and Ino laughed again.

"Eh whatever!"

She squeezed his arm lightly. "Make me some hot chocolate when we get home boyfriend??"

Shikamaru groaned as the two walked along the lone street.

"Troublesome…"

* * *

_**Tsuzuku**_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...

Here's some fluffiness for you guys! Next one will be fluff too! Sadly the drama won't come in until the teen chapters…

And I know they probably don't have pregnancy testers in their world but work with me people!

Anyways reviews are always appreciated!

edit 6/1


	6. Lie 5: GENTLEMAN

_**Lie 5- Gentleman**_

Light cerulean eyes glared resentfully out the window from her current spot on her bed, hoping to avoid any eye contact with the guest in her room. The guest's coal black eyes stayed firmly on her face and she found herself fidgeting uncomfortably in place.

"…"

"…"

"Go ahead…say it…" she finally muttered as she let loose a small frown on her features and avoided his gaze.

Shikamaru's expression remained blank and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Whatever do you mean?"

Ino Yamanaka glared at him all the while muttering curses under her breath as her cheeks flamed in embarrassment.

"Ah shut up…I know you're here to make fun of me…" she sniffled as she sunk further in her sheets and grabbed a tissue from her stand, blowing into it with whatever strength she had left. The chunin watched her questioningly.

"Well, it's no fun ridiculing someone who already knows they'll be mocked" shrugged Shikamaru casually and he took a seat on the wooden chair placed conveniently next to her bed.

Ino sniffled again and grabbed the box of tissues off her night stand placing them beside her. He stared at the many used tissues on her nightstand.

"But…I _**did **_warn you about getting sick" he reminded her and leaned back against his chair. Ino frowned and her eyes finally locked with his.

"You said you weren't going to mock me liar!" She spat and pointed at him accusingly. The blonde's head suddenly felt heavy from the action and she flopped back on her fluffy pillows dizzily.

"Well it's true" he muttered and pulled out his book from his pocket.

Ino sighed in defeat. She looked at the clock on her wall.

"Aww man and I had a date with Kei-kun planned" she pouted and turned her head wishing that she was outside like the birds flying pass her window.

"And I had a date with my _**BED**_ but you don't see _**me**_ complaining…" Shikamaru shot back resentfully. Ino rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Oh well, he'll understand if I'm a no show" she mindlessly shrugged and Shikamaru found himself feeling sorry for this Kei guy.

The boy took his time to glance out the window at the fluffy clouds roaming free in the vast sky of blue. When he was finished he turned his head away with a feeling of longing.

"I should thank you Ino because now I have to stay here and take care of you" he grumbled with annoyance and opened his book to pick up from where he had left off. Ino turned her head away from the peaceful scenery and glared at him.

"No one asked you to!" she responded haughtily.

"True, I was forced" Shikamaru shot back plainly, never taking his eyes off the book.

Ino's witty comeback was interrupted when she held her hand in front of her mouth to suppress her cough. The blonde groaned as she sniffled again and reached for her tenth tissue this hour.

She sniffled and rubbed the tears from her eyes.

"Ugh I feel like hell..."

"You look like it too" Shikamaru added absentmindedly. Ino finished blowing her nose and threw him a cold look.

"Nrgh I _**hate**_ you…where are my parents?" she questioned mindlessly and cleared the tissues off her bed.

"Mmm they said they would be out…probably hanging at my house to give us some 'alone' time" replied the shadow user and he yawned, scratching the back of his head.

"What?! Then who's going to cook for me!" Ino whined and crossed her arms over her chest disapprovingly. She was in no condition to cook for herself.

Shikamaru shrugged again as his eyes never once left the page.

"Hmm good question..."

Ino threw her hands up in the air and groaned.

"Ughh what was my dad thinking leaving me in _**your**_ care?!" she complained pitchily and used her pillow to suppress her scream. Shikamaru frowned and peered at her from behind his book.

"I seriously have no idea…why don't you get take-out or something?" the chunin suggested as he went back to reading his book.

"I'm in no condition to go out and eat you moron!" Ino yelled only to end up hacking up air.

"Hmm you should take it easy Ino…" Shikamaru observed when Ino finally stopped coughing. The blonde's eyes flashed in anger and she swiftly threw her comforter away from her. The shogi player paid no attention to the small tank top and booty shorts the girl was wearing and instead resumed his reading. When the girl swung her legs over the bed to get up however, his eyes finally darted to her.

"Where are you going?" he questioned impassively.

"What does it look like?? I'm going to get something to eat stupid!" she barked and slowly heaved herself out of bed. Shikamaru seemed to ponder her words and then nodded approvingly.

"Alright, just be careful" he stated flatly and Ino wanted then to kick him from behind but was too tired to do so. The seventeen year old stumbled across her room and with great effort managed to pull her door open.

She once again glared at the back of Shikamaru's head and continued on her way to the kitchen.

As the blonde reached the top of the stairs her head started to pound immensely and she carefully steadied herself on the hand railing. She carefully lifted her foot and took a step. Her headache returned once again and she placed her hand on her temple to relieve the pain. Ino found herself grumbling her teammate's catchphrase and she carefully lifted her right foot to descend on the next step.

Her eyes widened when her foot came into contact with nothing but air and her body lurched forward without warning. She closed her eyes as she felt her weight flying helplessly forward and she flailed her arms out in hopes of catching the railing.

_Shit!_

When Ino felt her body stop abruptly she blinked and then let out a sigh of relief. At the last minute her hands had found the railing and she steadied herself once again, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"Ah damn…being sick sucks…" she huffed exasperatingly and after a quick break she descended the steps once again.

Before she could process what was happening a pair of hands shot out and grabbed onto her wrists, pulling her back just when she was about to fall again. Ino made a slight surprised sound when her face collided into her savior's chest and she had to wait a few seconds before making sense of the situation.

She slowly removed her flushed face from Shikamaru's chest and looked into his eyes.

A scowl was currently present on the chunin's face and he seemed out of breath.

"Didn't I just tell you to be careful?!" he scolded frustratingly as he helped her down the stairs.

Ino did not reply because when they had reached the base of the steps her legs had suddenly given out and she slumped foward without warning. Before she could collapse Shikamaru's quick reflexes allowed him to save her in the nick of time.

"Ino!" cried the chunin, his voice now laced with worry. The blonde blinked her eyes open to see him hovering above her slouched form and she immediately blushed in embarrassment. When her headache died down she gave an awkward cough and placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself up. When Ino made a move to head over to her kitchen she felt Shikamaru's hand grasp hers before she could even blink.

The blonde turned inquisitively.

"What is it?" she asked impatiently, disregarding the pain that returned to her head.

Shikamaru said nothing but instead placed his hand on her forehead to feel her temperature. He frowned when his hand met a burning sensation and quickly removed it.

"Ino, you're running a fever. Go back to your room and get some rest" he ordered and she eyed him in annoyance. What, so he was playing the considerate gentleman now??

Before she could protest, the boy had easily picked her up bridal style and began to trek up the stairs slowly. Ino stared at him as if he had committed a crime.

"Shi-Shikamaru! What are you doing?!" she let out a gasp and held onto the front of his shirt to keep from falling. The cloud gazer rolled his eyes as they crossed into the hallway.

"You can't even walk straight and it'd take you way too long to get back to your room by yourself" he retorted matter-of-factly and kicked her bedroom door open. Ino tried her best to maintain a glare on him but the heat rising in her cheeks was distracting and the worst part about it was that she knew it wasn't because of her fever either.

Shikamaru crossed over to her bed within seconds and in an instant dropped her on the bed. Ino landed on the bed with a thump and she placed her hands on her head.

"Oof! Hey! Could you be any less gentle?!" she glowered and held her head in hopes of stopping the room from spinning.

"Oh, sorry" Shikamaru grumbled and tucked the girl in as if she were a child.

"Stay put while I get you something to eat" he calmly instructed and made his leave before Ino could protest again.

When the door slammed shut Ino stared long and hard at the closed door before wondering if this was all a dream.

X

O

X

Ino pursed her lips cutely as she leaned against the pillows and squinted at the steaming bowl of soup sitting idly on the tray before her.

Shikamaru cooking for her? She didn't know if this was a dream, a reality or a _**nightmare**_.

"You…_**made**_ this?" she questioned for the third time and Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"If you're not going to eat it then I'll take it back" he glared at her and shifted his hands to pull the tray away from her. Ino's hand caught his and he blinked in surprise.

"No, I want it" she sniffled and pried the tray from his hands. Shikamaru calmly obliged and sat back down on the chair, pulling out his book once more.

Ino lifted the spoon to her face and examined the contents cautiously deciding whether it was edible or not. The blonde opened her mouth slowly but the spoon remained frozen in her grip.

Shikamaru watched the motionless girl with half amusement and sighed.

"Do you _**want**_ me to feed you too?" he asked sarcastically. His comment finally jolted the blonde from her reverie and her eyes met his immediately.

"NO!" she robotically answered and couldn't help the slight flush in her cheeks. Out of sheer embarrassment she stuck the spoon in her mouth with haste. Shikamaru gave her an impassive look before returning to his novel.

As the soup traveled down her throat the blonde instantly froze and she carefully lowered her head to eye the bowl of soup.

"This…" she started quietly and Shikamaru couldn't help but watch her silently and wait for her reaction.

"...IS AMAZING!" she exclaimed ecstatically before spooning the rest of the soup soup hungrily. Shikamaru shook his head despite the slight smirk that came across his features.

When the blonde finished she let out a satisfied sigh and placed the tray on her night stand. She glanced at Shikamaru.

"That was delicious Shikamaru! Why didn't you tell me you could cook?" she asked in awe and Shikamaru closed his book, knowing very well that he wasn't going to get any reading done today.

"That's because I _**can't**_" he replied truthfully and set the book on the floor.

Ino's brows knitted together in confusion.

"Huh? Of course you can cook! The soup is evidence!" she remarked and pointed to the empty soup bowl as proof. Shikamaru stared at her and wondered if this was the same weak girl who had collapsed from a fever just hours ago.

"Well I hate to break it to ya but that _**was**_ my first time cooking…" he countered easily.

Ino watched him in a child-like fascination and Shikamaru averted his eyes away from her, strangely feeling as if he were an exhibit at a museum.

"But…" she hesitated and tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"If that's true then how did you know how to make it?" she asked with doubt woven into her voice.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as if the answer was as clear as day.

"Well duh, your mom's cook book of course"

Ino's mouth formed a big 'o' and a thought crossed her mind then. She suddenly pictured Shikamaru's cute scowling face as he cooked over a stove for her and realization dawned on her.

_I want to __**marry **__him!!_

The sound of Shikamaru's chair scraping against her floorboards brought Ino unwillingly back to reality and she had to shake her head to rid her of her thoughts. She opened her mouth to ask where he was going but his voice cut her short.

"Make sure to take your medicine…I'll be right back" the Nara spawn said automatically and eyed the pills on her stand.

Ino blinked in surprise when the door to her room closed shut and she finally took the pills in one hand and the glass of water in the other. She swallowed the pills awkwardly as it made its way down her raspy throat and drank the water with hopes of getting better right away.

When she was done she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and fell back against her many pillows. Ino brought her hand to her forehead and was surprised to feel that it was a lot cooler then it had been just a few hours ago.

Just when her hopes of recovering quickly began to appear a strong force made its way up her esophagus causing her to break out into fits of coughs. Her coughs had been so strong that she didn't notice Shikamaru slipping into her room until she felt his hands lightly pushing her to lie down on her pillow. She held her hand in front of her mouth as her coughs began to subside. With a final cough she groaned and opened her eyes despite her tiredness. She reached out of the covers for her tissue box but only felt the soft comforter underneath her thin fingers.

"Here" offered Shikamaru as he handed her a tissue and the mind user gratefully accepted it.

Shikamaru turned to the bowl of steaming water he had set down on his chair and took out the washcloth to wring dry. He refolded the cloth into a neat rectangular shape and turned to brush Ino's bangs from her eyes. The blonde made no objection and allowed him to care for her.

When the chunin turned to go drain the remaining water he felt a light tug on his pants.

Ino's half dazed eyes roamed his face gratefully and she gave him the brightest smile she could muster.

"Thanks Shika" she whispered in a hoarse voice before holding up her hand to cough again. Shikamaru turned around and tucked her hand back under the covers.

"Say that _**after**_ you get better" he ruffled her hair playfully and turned to continue his former task.

"Your going back home after this right?" Ino's light voice fluttered across the room and the chunin stopped in his tracks. He turned to her and raised his brow skywards.

"Did you want me to stay?"

Ino shook her head, not wanting to impose her friend any longer.

"No it's fine, I'll be okay"

Shikamaru nodded her way and turned to leave the room.

"Okay but I'm going to finish a few things and then I'll go" the chunin explained, thinking of the troublesome dishes in the sink. Ino muttered an "alright" and he gently closed the door just as her lids fluttered shut.

X

O

X

Shikamaru wiped his moist hands on the dish towel by the sink and used it to dry up the remaining water around the area. When he finally finished he suppressed his yawn and made his way up the stairs quietly.

He opened the door to Ino's room and stepped inside.

"Ino, I'm about to lea--" the boy's words faded when he saw that the blonde already asleep in bed.

The corner of Shikamaru's mouth lifted into a half smile and he cautiously crept across the room. He stood by Ino's bed and watched as her even breaths caused her chest to rise and fall rhythimically.

Ino was more tolerable when she was sleeping that was for sure.

Shikamaru lowered himself until he sat down on the chair and he pulled out his book once more.

He stole a glance at Ino before finding his page and resuming his reading.

It wouldn't hurt to stay with her for just a bit longer...

* * *

_**Tsuzuku

* * *

**_

edit 6/1


	7. Lie 6: PARENTS

_**Lie 6- Parents**_

"And then he expects me to _sleep_ with him right after our** first** date! Can you believe it?!"

"…"

"I _**KNOW**_! He and I are so over! I mean--"

"Ino…"

"What do I look like? A _**slut**_?! Answer and I'll KILL you Shikamaru! So anyways…"

"Inooo…"

"--such an ass! The next time I see him I'll pound him right in the kisser!"

Nara Shikamaru sighed as he walked along the streets of Konoha with a furious Ino in hand. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and mentally wondered why he was here again. The chunin brought his hand up to massage his temples in a failed attempt to calm himself.

He scowled along as the blonde continued her dreadfully elongated rant; all hopes of having her shut up faded away quickly. His leg suddenly gave a twinge of pain and he muttered curses at the blonde beside him.

Ignoring the blonde's rants his mind unconsciously ran over this morning's hectic events…

X

O

X

"…"

"Good morning Shika!"

"…"

Shikamaru stared long and hard at the blonde standing before his front door as if this was a really horrible nightmare. He closed his eyes and came up with a theory that if he wakes up it would all be over and he would be in his comfortable bed.

When no such thing happened he rubbed his temples in frustration.

"Ino…it's _six thirty_ in the morning. What in hokage's name are you _**doing**_ here??" asked the chunin with grit teeth. Ino pursed her lips thoughtfully as if she hadn't noticed the deathly tone in her boyfriend's voice.

"Weeell…I was just in the neighborhood and I was wondering if you had breakfast yet…"

Shikamaru glared at the troublesome woman before him. The innocent sentence that had come out of her mouth could be translated as…

"I want you to make me breakfast"

Wordlessly, he slammed the door in her face.

"Goodbye Ino" he called lazily and the blonde could hear his fading footsteps walking away from the door. Ino glared at the door and crossed her arms over her chest grumpily. Shikamaru sighed in relief. At least she had the decency not to bang on the door knowing that his parents were still asleep. With a defeated sigh Ino turned around and walked home.

X

O

X

Shikamaru's stomach gave a low growl as he treaded down the staircase mindlessly. He rubbed his eyes to get rid of whatever sleep he had left as he lazily made his way into the kitchen, the clock striking 10 A.M.

"Morning…" grumbled the boy incoherently.

"Good morning Shika!"

The chunin nodded a quick greeting toward the loud voice casually before finally seeing the wrong in this scenario. He turned around fast enough to cause whiplash and his eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets.

"I-Ino?!" he cried in surprise as he backed away a good two feet. The blonde smiled happily in her seat across from Shikaku.

Ino ignored the shogi player's death glare and turned towards his mother.

"Thank-you for letting me have breakfast with you Mrs. Nara" she exclaimed politely as  
Yoshino placed a fresh plate of hotcakes before her. Shikamaru's mother chuckled in response and sat down beside her husband after placing Shikamaru's plate down.

"Oh don't be dear, you're welcome here anytime!" she answered and poured a glass of orange juice for the blonde. Ino smiled brightly and gave a thanks after Yoshino handed over her glass.

Shikamaru realized then that this scene playing before him was totally and utterly horrific and he should stop it from ever happening again.

"No! She can't _be_ here! Leave! Now!" he ordered as he pointed towards the door. Ino blinked in surprise, a look of faux hurt on her face.

"Shikamaru!" Yoshino glared at her son and Shikaku threw him a confused look.

"I mean uh, her parents are probably wondering where she is" he corrected himself and grudgingly took his seat beside Ino, throwing her an annoyed look. The Yamanaka heiress remained all smiles and continued to cut her pancakes absentmindedly.

"Thanks for worrying Shika but I already told my daddy that I wanted to spend my morning with _you_" she cooed sweetly and did something that neither one of the Naras had seen coming.

She kissed him.

On the cheek of course.

The strategist froze in place. As if the touch of her lips was mere poison and if he were to move he would keel over and die. Which he probably would.

Ino continued with her false smiles and her lips parted to mouth something that only he could catch.

_Contract, Rule number one!_

It seemed like eternity until he finally regained his mental consciousness. The Nara junior clenched his fists underneath the table and gave her a frighteningly kind smile.

"Heh. I missed seeing you too Ino…" he replied halfheartedly and swiftly kicked her leg under the table.

"Ouch!" yelped Ino and she waved off her sudden outburst when Shikamaru's parents gave her quizzical looks. She bent down to rub her leg and glared at the boy. Shikamaru's eyes remained closed as he casually drank his juice.

"These are really tasty pancakes Mrs. Nara!" Ino exclaimed as she returned the kick causing the cloud gazer to bite his lip in agony.

"Why thank-you sweetheart, if you want I can show you the recipe"

Ino smiled her brightest despite the pain from the second kick that landed on her ankle.

"Oh! That would be lovely! I'd love to cook for Shikamaru someday!"

_**Kick!**_

Shikamaru winced and let loose a smirk.

"Let's hope that day will never come" he retorted smartly.

_**Kick!**_

Ino immediately stuffed her face with the pancakes (to the two adult's amazement) in an attempt to suppress her scream of pain. She glared at Shikamaru through tear brimmed eyes. _That **hurt**!_ She swallowed the contents in her mouth and turned to the adults who were giving her worried stares.

She instantly blushed.

"It's umm...these pancakes! I just **LOVE** them so much!" she laughed comically and waved her hand in the air. She painfully stuffed her mouth with as much of it as she could to prove her point. Shikamaru couldn't help the slight grin playing on his face but soon let out a small groan as Ino kicked his leg a third time around. His parents turned their attention to their son whom was trying his best not to double over.

Yoshino looked worriedly at the two kids after they both began to wheeze as if they had run a marathon. Shikaku on the other hand watched in amusement.

"Y-You know Mrs. Nara, speaking of food! When I was sick Shikamaru made—YARGHH!" Ino yelped when the mentioned chunin started to repeatedly attack her leg. She shakily turned her head towards her so called boyfriend as her lips trembled from the lingering pain. The strategist glared at her and his eyes sent her a secret message.

_Tell her and you will feel pain __**much more**__ worst then what you are feeling now!_

Ino maintained her happy smile nonetheless and faced the Nara's once again.

"I'm sorry for my sudden outburst. I guess I ate too quickly and it sort of went the wrong way…" she laughed nervously and grabbed her glass of juice from off the table to calm her nerves.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and his next words came out of his mouth on impulse.

"Just like everything else in your life"

Ino's eyes narrowed and she threw Shikamaru a secretive glare which he happily obliged by returning the favor.

And thus the game of violent footsy starts again.

X

O

X

Shikamaru scowled at the unpleasant memory. Thanks to Ino his leg was probably going to stay purple for a few more days, weeks even! After a moment with his thoughts he suddenly took on a quizzical expression.

_Now that I think about it the old man was unusually quiet when Ino came over…_

Shikamaru didn't have any more time time to ponder on his thoughts because just then something caught his attention and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"…and then I--HEY! There's the bastard now!" Ino finally stopped her long string of complaints and eyed her soon to be ex scornfully. With a huff she began to march over to her (real) boyfriend, a death-worthy glare locked on his face.

A sudden feeling flashed before Shikamaru's eyes and he glared at the two.

Before Ino could threaten the boy with a long speech about his wrongdoings Shikamaru had already appeared before him with startling speed and had pinned him against the wall roughly.

"Stay away from Ino" he stated hastily and without another word he grabbed the astonished girl by the arm and dragged her away from the scene.

When the two were finally mixed in with the lively crowd Shikamaru let out a sigh and pulled Ino into the nearest store. He held her closely in his arms and brought his finger up to his lips as to silence her.

Ino, now in a disoriented and way beyond confused state blinked questionably but kept her mouth shut nevertheless.

"What the…? Where did they go?" a gruff voice said from outside the shop. Ino's eyes widened in surprise.

_Daddy?!_

"I still see no point in this Yamanaka...I don't even know why I agreed to this" another low voice followed. Shikamaru's brows knitted together. He knew someone familiar was following them but he had no idea it was their _fathers_.

"What? _**You **_were the one who said our kids were acting strange!" Inoichi pointed out as he scratched his head trying to locate the kids through the bustling crowd.

"Yeah but I didn't think you'd go as far as stalking them to see if I was right" Shikaku muttered and yawned lazily. Ino's father frowned and he scratched his head once more.

"Mmm maybe they went somewhere less crowded. We should go check it out"

Shikaku rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure I was just imagining things Yamanaka! They seem perfectly fine! Did you see the way my boy defended your daughter earlier? He cares for her I know that much"

In the store Shikamaru mimicked his fathers' earlier gesture when Ino poked his ribs teasingly after seeing the slight blush creeping on his cheeks. The chunin scowled at her playfulness. He only did what he had done back there because he wanted to prevent Ino from shouting unnecessary things in public. And besides, he had to drag her away quickly before their 'pursuers' caught up. She should actually be thankful to him for saving her troublesome behind. Who knows what would have happened if their fathers found out they were faking. Well, he had a several ideas. Seventy-two to be exact. And all of them ended up with him dead or immensely injured.

Inoichi frowned and disregarded Shikaku's protests by ordering him to continue the search. With a sigh Shikaku nodded warily and the two men dispersed, seeking out their two kids.

Shikamaru finally released his hold on Ino and raked his hand through his hair in annoyance.

"Damn, I hate to say this Ino but starting now we have to _**act**_ like a real couple. At least just for today" suggested Shikamaru and she blinked at him as if he was talking to another Ino behind her. When she met his serious gaze she nodded fastidiously and gripped the hem of her skirt for some reason feeling strangely nervous.

"R-Right" she stuttered but nodded firmly this time. Shikamaru nodded, stepping outside the shop as he held his hand out to her.

"Well then," the chunin began after Ino took his hand in hers.

"Let's see just how _cute_ of a couple you make us out to say"

-

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-

-

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* * *

_**Tsuzuku...**_

* * *

Hello there! Thank you for reading Lie 6 and I hope you liked it despite its shortness! Well this chapter was meant to be the beginning of the -INSERT SPOILER- arc! But still, it wasn't even 2,ooo words! And usually all of my updates are more than 2,ooo words! Meh! Oh well... that only means that Lie 7 will be a lengthy one no? (grins)

Anyways, things to discuss about for this chapter.

When Ino mentioned "contract, rule number one" she was telling our Shika here that his contract had allowed kisses on the cheek so he couldn't hold it against her.

The last line was a reference to Ino's earlier comment in the Pilot chapter where she claimed that she and Shikamaru would make a 'cute' couple. Shika's memory is flawless! (Even if Ino had technically said it just five days ago). I can't even remember that far back!

Hehe it seems like Ino and Shikamaru are about to go into battle or something! Yosh! _**Ikkuzo**_!

edit 6/1


	8. Lie 7: COUPLE

_**Lie 7 – Couple**_

"So…what do couples _**do**_ exactly…?" Shikamaru asked as he and Ino sat hunched over a small table in Yakiniku Q as they waited for their food. Ino took her blue eyes off the window and shot him a quizzical look, sighing dejectedly.

"Oh come on! I _**know**_ you have a general idea! It doesn't take a genius to figure it out!" she declared and rolled her eyes.

Shikamaru gave a defeated sigh. It was true that he had a general idea of it but he had hoped that Ino's definition of a 'couple' would defy his own. Although, now that he thought about it…Ino's definition could be a lot more _**extreme**_…

"So…is my dad watching us now?" Ino questioned as she propped her elbows on the table.

"I don't know. I think they finally decided to hide their presence. So we won't know if we're being watched or not from now on." sighed Shikamaru and he rested his chin on his closed fist. _Troublesome…_

Ino mimicked him and laid her head on the table's flat surface.

"So I guess we should stop the chit chat…They should be able to locate us soon" she pointed out and straightened herself out. The chunin in turn sighed again and nodded reluctantly.

"Just know that you _**owe me**_ _**big time**_ after this is over" he whispered declaratively as their meat orders came and Ino hummed a small tune as she placed the meat on the grill.

"Hai Hai!" she sang absentmindedly and passed Shikamaru his eating utensils. Shikamaru grunted thanks and placed the meat on the grill.

The two teens sat in a contemplative silence as they waited for the meat to cook. Ino spotted a particularly finished cooked meat and reached out with her chopsticks. Her chopsticks however, instead of touching the meat had met Shikamaru's intercepting chopsticks and she paused. She was about to retract her hand away when the chunin beat her to the action and he gestured for her to take it. Ino threw him a smile and picked it up with haste causing him to roll his eyes.

However, when he reached out for another slab of meat, he found the last one being held in front of his face.

The shadow user threw the meat a confused look before meeting Ino's bright sunny smile.

He furrowed his brows and frowned.

"Say ahh!" Ino cooed sweetly and held her chopsticks towards him.

Shikamaru glared at her and scowled.

_No. Freaking. Way._

"Come on _Shika_!" Ino smiled again, the curve of her mouth growing wider by the second. His glare intensified like a baby refusing to eat his vegetables and the corner of his mouth twitched when he noticed that she was trying to suppress her laughter. To make matters worst the chunin spotted an elderly couple eyeing them in an "aww how sweet!" fashion.

The two teens remained still and Shikamaru's eyes darted at the smiling girl and the piece of meat.

With the odds against him and the chances of getting discovered if he were to refuse at stake, he grudgingly chomped down on the chopsticks and pulled away quickly, his cheeks slightly pink. Ino giggled girlishly and he threw her an icy look.

"I _**hate**_ you" he mouthed venomously and her giggles grew.

"I love you too Shika!" she answered as she helped herself to the meal. The elderly couple smiled and Ino heard the old woman say something to her husband about how they used to be like that. Shikamaru sighed, hoping that somehow he would just keel over and DIE.

_**Anything**_ but this…

Minutes later his head suddenly pulled back in repulsion when Ino's chopsticks reached out towards him again, making him lose count of the ideas he had thought up to punish Ino. The shadow user tried his best to repress his growl and he shook his head silently, his lips set in a firm line. Ino gave him another bright smile, trying to coax him into eating again.

"Come on Shikamaru! I _**know**_ this is your favorite!" she said innocently and waved the slab of meat in front of him. Shikamaru ignored the slight gurgle of his stomach and opted to send her silent curses.

"U-Um, excuse me…?" A voice interrupted the little scene and he found himself sighing in relief when Ino retracted her hand.

The two teens glanced at the assistant of the shop who was standing in front of them, his hands fiddling with his apron as if embarrassed to interrupt such a 'sweet' moment.

"Yes, can we help you?" Ino asked politely and flashed the boy a brilliant smile. The boy blushed in response.

"U-Um, your meal has already been taken care of and I was told to tell you that today you can get anything on the house, no charge" he exclaimed. Ino and Shikamaru traded glances and the strategist eyed the boy.

"…'who' told you?" he questioned plainly, his brow raised skywards. The boy stiffened at Shikamaru's voice and he pointed to the booth a few rows down. The two teens followed his gesture and eyed the now empty booth with finished plates stacked on the table.

"The elderly couple that was here a moment ago are the parents of Tatsuya-san and they told him to give you anything you wanted" he explained.

Once again the two 'lovers' exchanged glances.

"Are you sure that's really alright?" Ino asked finally as she tilted her head to the side cutely. The boy in turn blushed (and Shikamaru raised an inquisitive brow) and nodded meekly.

"My parents are hopeless when they see couples that catch their eyes, but it's fine with me miss, I wouldn't mind handing you two a free meal, you are my regulars after all" Tatsuya stated from behind the counter, a grin on his features. Ino's eyes brightened and she clapped her hands in delight.

"You really wouldn't mind Tatsuya-san?" she questioned sweetly. Tatsuya sniffed and rubbed his nose with his large hand.

"Of course not! Asuma was a good friend of mine after all"

Ino and Shikamaru's eyes softened at the name and they couldn't help but smile at the man.

Minutes later Tatsuya had prepared a second delicious meal that the two teens looked on with awe and wondered if they could possibly eat it all. Shikamaru felt the guilt in the pit of his stomach when he realized that Chouji would have wanted some.

"We'll bring some back for Chouji! It's too much for us to finish!" Ino chirped as she set aside some of the plates for their friend.

When she finished, her eyes locked with Shikamaru's.

"What're you smirking about?"

The cloud gazer waved his hand dismissively and picked up his chopsticks.

"Nothing" he merely grunted and began eying his delicious choices.

Ino's specialty _**was**_ the mind after all….

X

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"Thank-you for the lovely meal Tatsuya-san! And send your parents our gratitude please!" chirped the blonde as she grabbed hold of Shikamaru's arm lovingly. The burly man nodded in reply and turned his head to tend to his other customers. Ino's eyes roamed the store and she finally caught sight of the young teenager that worked alongside the man. She gave him a dazzling smile causing him to blush and Shikamaru rolled his eyes as they left the restaurant…

"I can't believe you go for _**kids**_" he commented dryly when they were strolling along the market. Ino paused and looked at him astounded.

"I do _**not**_! I was only being polite! And besides he's only two years younger!" protested the girl.

Shikamaru shook his head and sighed.

"Right…" the strategist agreed sarcastically, suddenly feeling sorry for the boy knowing that Ino had only aroused his false hopes.

"I can't believe you're _**jealous**_ of a kid…" she retorted lightly when she stopped to examine a cute display in a nearby stall. Shikamaru took the time to whirr out of his sympathetic train of thoughts.

"What? I'm not--" he began and paused when he realized that Ino was only toying with him.

"Eh, say what you want, we should go give this food to Chouji before it gets cold" the boy suggested, eying the two plastic bags in his hands.

"Oh, right! That was so nice of Tatsuya-san and his parents! We should really thank them next time! What about this?" Ino questioned as she held up a four piece tea set. Shikamaru's nose wrinkled in annoyance at the memory.

"…A cute couple they said…_**I**_ fail to see it…" he grumbled under his breath but the blonde had caught it. Ino swung her head around after returning the item and gave him an all knowing smirk.

"You can't deny it Shikamaru, we _**do**_ make a very cute couple! Even other people are seeing it!" she pointed out and the shadow user grunted in reply as he continued maneuvering around the crowded area.

"Che, that was just a fluke, I doubt that--"

"Hey there you two lovebirds! How about your boyfriend here try and win you this here prize?" A voice called out through the bustling street. Ino and Shikamaru stopped and turned to face a man and his female helper standing in front of one of those 'game' booths. Before Shikamaru could decline the offer Ino had taken his hand in hers and had dragged him unwillingly towards the booth.

"What prize is it?" she questioned, her hand still clasped in Shikamaru's to his dismay.

"If you figure out these three puzzles you get that" the brunette explained as she pointed to a 16 inch plush sitting on the wall idly.

"They're hard though. No one has ever figured out the last puzzle yet" the man commented. Ino glanced at the go board placed in front of the man and she silently grinned. Shikamaru noticed the mind user's small action and before he could speak his words of objection the girl turned and looked at him with big eyes.

"Shikaaaa!" she sang harmoniously and her hold on his hand tightened. The chunin in turn stiffened and he felt a mysterious prickling sensation running up his back (and It wasn't the good sensation either). Ino stuck her bottom lip out and she mustered the biggest puppy dog pout she could and Shikamaru, having already been immune to it, rolled his eyes before glaring at her.

"No" he stated plainly.

The blonde had already predicted his answer and for her plan B she made her eyes well up with salty tears, causing the boy to jerk back slightly.

"_**Ino**_" he growled and sent her a secretive glare.

Shikamaru watched the girl lower her head dejectedly and begin to lightly shake her shoulders.

The penetrating gazes from the man and his assistant weren't helping his situation either.

With a heavy sigh the cloud gazer scratched his head in frustration.

"Alright! _**Fine**_!" he grumbled and faced the man.

"How much do I owe you?" he muttered unenthusiastically.

The man and his helper traded glances and they both grinned.

"For such a cute couple we'll let you try for free!" the girl smiled and the man nodded beside her. Shikamaru wanted so badly to glare at the two and say "we are NOT a cute couple!" but he restrained himself from doing so and grumbled a small reluctant 'thanks' instead.

His impassive face became harder to keep when he felt Ino's finger tapping his as if trying to point out the 'cute couple' comment. Shikamaru eyed her smiling face and returned it with a forced one of his own. He took his eyes off the troublesome creature and eyed the go board warily, spotting a small book lying on the counter next to the stones.

"Tsumego?" he read aloud absentmindedly and the man chuckled.

"Yup, do you know how to play or should I explain the rules?"

Shikamaru shook his head.

"Nah, I know it" the chunin shrugged, letting loose a yawn.

The man smirked.

"A little confident eh?"

He shrugged lazily and the man laughed.

"Okay, let's begin shall we?"

X

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"He-Here you go…." A slight mumble came from the female helper minutes after Shikamaru had taken his seat. The man sitting behind the go board seemed frozen from shock and Shikamaru took the teddy bear from her hands calmly.

"Thanks" he muttered and gave a polite smile. The chunin didn't notice the small blush staining the girl's cheeks when he turned around to leave.

"Ino, lets go!" he called after the blonde who was still examining the board with confusion. She had no idea how Shikamaru solved the _supposedly_ 'tough' problems but he had done it in less then five minutes. The girl nodded mindlessly and thanked the man but was sure he didn't hear her for his jaw was still slacked open and his eyes remained glued to the board.

When Ino latched onto Shikamaru's arm she turned to thank the brunette and noticed the girls stare on her 'boyfriend'. When their eyes met the girl hastily turned away, busying herself with whatever she could find. Ino blinked at the girl's action before her mouth curved into a Cheshire cat like grin and she nudged Shikamaru in the ribs playfully.

"You _**lady killer**_ you!" she whispered in a laughing voice and the chunin could only stare at her in confusion. Dismissing her random comment, he suddenly remembered the bear in between his arm and without a word quickly shoved it into Ino's hands.

"Here" he grumbled impassively before turning his head to watch the road absentmindedly. Ino smiled at him before taking the bear and hugging it with delight. She smiled when her nose filled with her teammate's musky scent.

"Thanks Shika!" Ino beamed and was about to kiss his cheek as a reward but reluctantly held back. She clutched the bear closely to her chest before giving him a side glance.

She would give him a break. She had 'tortured' (as he would put it) Shikamaru enough for today…

"I can't believe we got another freebie!" Ino giggled as she hugged the bear in her arms in contentment. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"That was just another fluke" he stated plainly.

Ino shook her head with a sigh.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that" she muttered and rolled her sky blue orbs. Her eyes suddenly landed on a street cart and her face brightened.

"Shikamaru! Bye me some ice cream!" she asked and tugged on his sleeve. The chunin blinked before following her gaze over to the ice cream cart. He immediately frowned.

"NO"

His response was clearer and more annoyed this time.

"Aww come on! I'll pay you back I promise!" the girl reassured him as she dragged him towards the elderly vendor. She gave the old woman a polite smile before asking for a vanilla cone.

Shikamaru glared at her and was about to cancel her order when Ino unexpectedly grabbed him and cupped her hand above his ear, leaning towards his face.

"Oh come on Shikamaru! The woman could use some business!" Ino exclaimed while the woman scooped her ice cream. To prove her point furthur the blonde pointed over to the busy ice cream shop a few yards away. The chunin paused and his eyes landed on the crowded ice cream shop. He then watched the old woman as she happily gave the couple an extra scoop of vanilla.

Scratching his head he frowned grimly.

"Augh Damnit!" he muttered exasperatingly and Ino smirked in response, giving his hand a light squeeze.

"Thanks Shika! I'm gonna go sit over there at the bench while you pay alright?" she declared and walked away after giving the woman a slight nod.

"Here you go sonny" the elderly woman smiled and handed Shikamaru the cone. The strategist thanked her with a kind smile and fished though his wallet.

"What a cute couple you two make!" she commented and Shikamaru paused for a brief second. He looked behind him at Ino who was watching the two and the blonde suddenly mouthed something.

_Cutest couple EVER!_

Shikamaru glared at her and mouthed a _COINCIDENCE!_

He turned towards the old woman again and strained a smile.

"So I've been told" he laughed forcefully and handed the woman his money, silently glaring at the ground.

"Keep the change ma'am…" he said before the woman could have a chance to return it.

The woman gave him a gracious smile and nodded in appreciation.

"Why Thank-you dear, now you better run along now, you don't want to keep your lovely girlfriend waiting you know"

"Uh. Right, arigatou gozaimasu obaa-san" he nodded curtly and turned around, walking towards Ino.

"I've been meaning to tell you..." the chunin spoke up after he sat down beside Ino on the small bench. He handed her the ice cream cone and she gladly accepted it with a smile.

The florist gave her ice cream a small lick prior to meeting his eyes.

"Tell me what?"

"Stop calling me 'Shika'…it's _**annoying**_" he declared truthfully. Ino tapped her chin thoughtfully before returning his gaze.

"Annoying or _**embarrassing**_?" she retorted mockingly, her brow raised.

Shikamaru sighed.

"Ino" he drawled seriously.

The blonde's lips shot downwards.

"But it's a term of endearment! It's _**necessary **_in a relationship**!" **she objected casually, taking another lick of her ice cream. The chunin heaved a sigh and his eyes lingered on the carefree clouds above.

_TROUBLESOME…!_

"Well then, I suppose _**I**_ should give you one too?" he suggested a little _too_ calmly. Ino knitted her brows in confusion and she nodded slowly.

"Alright then…._Miss Piggy_"

"SHIKAMARU!"

The chunin blinked in false perplexity.

"What? It's a term of _**endearment**_" he shot back.

"That will NOT be my pet name!" she growled and shot him a death glare.

The boy shrugged.

"But I **like** it…._Miss Piggy_" Shikamaru retorted and shot her a smirk.

Ino would have snapped at her 'lover' just then if it wasn't for the icy cold sensation running down her hand.

"Ahh!" she cried out when she noticed the dripping vanilla ice cream. The blonde quickly lowered her head and stuck out her tongue, running it over her hand. Shikamaru watched on in a daze like state before finally snapping out of his thoughts and shaking his head roughly.

"Just hurry up and bite your ice cream" he suggested.

"I can't! It's too cold to bite!" she explained and continued to lick it. He eyed her again.

"Then don't lick it! Suck on it or something!"

Something in the back of his head told him that his words had not come out as _**correctly**_ as he wanted them to.

Ino paused and frowned at him.

"No! Don't tell me how to eat my ice cream!" she pouted and continued to run her tongue along the edge of the cone.

Something must have snapped in Shikamaru then for he reached his hand out and grabbed her arm roughly.

"Fer Chri-- sake!" he groaned before bringing his face towards her, biting down on the ice cream hurriedly. Ino blinked in bewilderment and automatically blushed when his ponytail tickled her chin. She jumped slightly when Shikamaru raised his head and gave her an unpleasant frown.

"There troublesome woman, now it won't drip"

Ino nodded meekly and watched quietly as Shikamaru brought his hand to his lips and licked the remaining vanilla ice cream off his hand.

For some reason her throat was unexpectedly _**dry**_ for the next ten minutes.

X

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"We should go get ice cream another day!" Ino suggested out of the blue and Shikamaru glanced at her from the corner of his eye. The two resumed their walk and watched the vast sky. Ino snuggled her bear closer to her and smiled pleasantly.

"Why?"

"Oh…just _because_" she grinned mysteriously, her finger gliding over her lips. Shikamaru watched her carefully before shooting her another puzzled look.

"Hmm I wonder where Chouji is? Since he wasn't home I guess we can give him the food tomorrow" Ino exclaimed and pointed to the two plastic bags. Shikamaru grunted in reply and continued down the road.

"Ah! We're here!" the girl announced as her eyes shifted to her small house. Shikamaru eyed her warily, his ear drums about ready to burst from her loud voice. She latched onto his arm and leaned against his shoulder.

"Do you think our dads already stopped following us?" she whispered quietly into his ear.

"Dunno" Shikamaru muttered and pulled the screen door open as Ino searched for her keys when she found the door to be locked.

With a small click from the door the two made their way inside the house.

"Huh, I guess my parents aren't home yet" Ino shrugged when she realized the house was pitch black and she walked into the living room with Shikamaru trailing behind. The couple patted the walls in hopes of finding the light switch and Ino smiled in triumph when her fingers brushed over the familiar switch.

"Found it!" she called out and threw the switch on happily.

**"SURPRIIIIIISE!!"**

The two teens jumped back in alarm until they both stood side by side, their hearts beating wildly in their chests. Shikamaru and Ino glanced over the small crowd filled with people they recognized from the Ino-Shika-Chou families. Ino's eyes briefly roamed the balloon and streamer decorations before lingering to the small table filled with a delicous buffet of foods. Shikamaru took the time to find his parents as well as Ino's and Chouji's through the crowd.

They blinked at Choji who was standing by his father with a cross between a forced and a "please don't kill me" smile on his face. Before they could open their mouths to speak the size changer lifted his hand and pointed to a banner that hung in the middle of the room.

Ino and Shikamaru followed the direction of his finger until they landed on a sign with bright blue letters spread evenly across the paper.

The dead silence was only broken by the sound of two plastic bags falling and a soft thud from Ino's teddy bear.

**_CONGRATULATIONS ON GETTING ENGAGED!!_**

The two teens stood stock still and only one thought registered through their minds then...

"Oh shi--"

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* * *

_**Tsuzuku…

* * *

**_

WAHAHAHA! The plot thickens and Shikamaru and Ino find themselves in another sticky situation!! Oh knoes!

At least their attraction is starting to show!

BTW: Tsumego reference from Hikaru no Go. It's a game where you use go stones to solve various problems. It's used to help build up your strategy for Go. I'm not really sure how it goes but it has something to do with capturing your enemy's stones or defending yours (I think??). I guess it's sort of like a brain teaser or one of those "move a stick to create a letter" kind of things. Google search it if you want.

Edit 6/1


	9. Lie 8: ENGAGEMENT

_**Lie 8: Engagement**_

"Phew! Talk about close calls huh?" Ino laughed as she opened the door to her bedroom with her mail in hand. Shikamaru merely grunted and made a beeline towards her bed, flopping face first on her silky sheets.

"Hey!" the florist frowned as she watched him get comfortable with her bed. When she was sure he wasn't going to move the girl could only sigh and she made her way over to her desk.

"Well don't get _**too**_ comfortable yet Shikamaru, we're still in a pickle you know" Ino reminded as she leaned against her desk. She began to flip through her mail, sorting out the important ones from the junk.

Shikamaru snorted in response.

"I shouldn't be hearing _**that**_ from someone as _simple_-_minded_ as you" he scoffed and mentally prepared himself for her verbal abuse.

When none of the sort followed, the chunin turned his head to face the girl lazily.

Instead of meeting her death glare as he had anticipated however, the shadow user watched as Ino stared grimly at the white envelope held in her pale hands. Shikamaru raised a questioning brow when he noticed how intently she stared at the envelope with her lips set into a thin firm line.

"Ino?" the boy questioned a bit uncertain, finally snapping the blonde out of her thoughts.

Ino blinked out of her reverie and turned to meet the chunin's gaze.

"Ah sorry Shika…did you say something?" she faked a laugh as she stuffed the mysterious mail in her desk drawer with haste. The Nara spawn's brow arched higher (if possible) and he glanced over to her drawer.

"Oh! Um, we should uhh, find a way to get out of this '_**temporary engagement**_'...!" Ino noted as she avoided his gaze. Shikamaru's eyes remained on the drawer and he calmly closed his eyes when he figured that whatever it was Ino was hiding from him wasn't his business (why was he curious anyways?). The chunin groaned.

"Don't remind me..." he replied as he turned his head to stare at the ceiling. His curiosity about Ino's 'secret' peaked however, when he heard her let out a sigh of relief.

The blonde giggled in response, finally reverting back to her normal self. As she released her gaze from the window her eyes softened when she watched Shikamaru from across the room. The shadow user caught her eyes and his brow rose skywards.

"What?"

Ino simply smiled and pushed herself away from the desk with her hands, making her way towards the bed.

"Thanks...for going along with it even though it was your chance at 'freedom'..." she mumbled softly and sat down on her bed beside him causing the metal springs to sound lightly.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Oh _**please**_ spare me the mushy sweet talk" he muttered plainly resulting in another fit of giggles to escape the blonde's lips. Why he chose to save her sorry ass he didn't know but it was one of those moments where it had _**seemed**_ like the 'right' thing to do...

X

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_**(FLASHBACK!!- For those of you who are confused by this next scene!)**_

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"**ENGAGEMENT?!**" Two very confused and baffled teens shouted through the halls of the Yamanaka household. Shikamaru and Ino traded glances before staring wide-eyed at their parents.

"Buh-But! —I—what?! AHHH!" Ino screamed flummoxed as she covered her face with her hands in total disbelief.

Shikamaru, who was obviously the mature and reasonable one out of the couple, chose to stare off into another dimension where he could recount the things he had done wrong in his life to deserve such cruel punishment…

"Mmm their reaction is a _smidge_ different then how you told us it would be dear…" Mrs Yamanaka whispered to her husband who gave the teens a questionable look.

After a brief intermission with her thoughts, Ino finally unshielded her eyes and her gaze landed on her father's.

"DADDY! What is this all about?! An _**ENGAGEMENT**_?!" she cried and pointed to the hideous banner hanging innocently across the room. Shikamaru took the time to snap out of his thoughts and he gave his parents an incredulous look.

"Calm down sweetheart! I thought you would be happy!" Inoichi defended as he held up his hands nervously.

"But _**daddy**_! We're only seventeen! And our relationship hasn't even lasted a week yet!" Ino offered as she glared at her father. Shikamaru nodded silently in agreement.

"I mean, from the way things are going I might even break up with Shikamaru NOW!"

At this comment the mentioned chunin threw his girlfriend, or _**fiancée**_ rather, an icy glare.

Inoichi and Shikaku traded looks and before the teens knew it, the two grown men were throwing back their heads with laughter.

"Don't be ridiculous sweetheart! Shikaku and I saw how _intimate_ you two were this afternoon!" the blond haired man laughed mirthfully.

Chouji opened his mouth in shock and his eyes narrowed accusingly at his friends.

_Intimate?! _

Shikamaru, having noticed his friend's expression, held up his hand to wave whatever crazy scenario Chouji was picturing in his screwy mind.

Ino on the other hand chose to blush on the spot, her mind involuntarily reviewing the day's events…

"I--! No! It wasn't like--!" The blonde started but suddenly paused.

"WAITAMINUTE! How was it that you two 'saw' us anyways?!" the girl quickly realized the opening and glared at her father. She inwardly smirked when she saw him momentarily freeze on the spot. Shikamaru threw Ino a secretive smirk and the girl smiled back in response.

"That's a good question Ino because just last week I remember my old man telling me he was going to be tending to the deer _**all day **_today…" The shirker recalled and crossed his arms over his chest.

As if on cue Shikaku stiffened in response.

Ino sent her 'lover' a grin.

"Oh! Is that so? Wait…then how was it that they 'saw' us hmm? Care to explain _**daddy**_??" The kunoichi spoke sweetly and crossed her arms under her chest. She gave her dad a look, tapping her foot impatiently.

Yoshino narrowed her eyes at her husband.

"That's right dear, you told me this morning that you were going to the farm…"

Shikamaru's face remained falsely confused and he sneakily held his hand behind his back for Ino to high five.

"I...uh...well...it was all _**Inoichi's**_ idea" the man blamed childishly as he pointed to his long time friend. Inoichi gasped silently and he threw his 'friend' a glare.

Ino's mother turned her attention towards the two grown men and she placed her hands on her hips, expecting an answer from the two.

Shikaku sighed, seeing that lying would only cause a bigger mess (**A/N: FORESHADOWING!!**).

"Well dear, Inoichi and I had some..._suspicions_...about Ino and Shikamaru and we ONLY followed them to make sure they were alright" The man confessed as he scratched his head awkwardly.

Yoshino crossed her arms and started to tap her foot.

"What...'suspicions'?" she questioned grimly.

Ino's father threw Shikaku a nervous glance and he gulped inwardly.

"Well you know..._suspicions_only us overprotective fathers would have!" Inoichi laughed as he slung an arm around his friend and they both laughed nervously.

All three teens in the residence rolled their eyes.

_What __**BULL…**_

Mrs. Yamanaka frowned, not buying any of her husband's words.

Before the wife could call out her husbands bluff, Shikaku's voice cut in.

"And before we saw them..." Shikaku paused and glanced at the two lovebirds.

"We made a deal with ourselves that if their relationship was not going well or if they were only dating because of our pressure, we would call off the whole marriage ordeal and let them be"

Inoichi nodded.

"If it all didn't work out I was going to let Ino date again so she could find someone else" The mind user added, although a bit grudgingly.

Ino and Shikamaru tuned the adults conversation out by then. Instead, the two teens slowly turned to face one another and their minds seemed to be screaming the same thing...

_**WHAT?!**_

"But from the looks of how they were acting today it's clear now that they're happy together" Inoichi finished, his expression turning bright as he nudged Shikaku in the ribs.

Shikamaru's mouth hung open.

This was his chance!

"No! It's not what it looks like! Ino and I were just--!" Shikamaru yelled, his hopes of becoming free from the deal singing loudly in his head.

The chunin stopped when he realized Ino hadn't taken the golden opportunity to escape the deal as well. He quickly shut his mouth and watched as Ino eyed her father's happy smiling face warily and she bit her lip in contemplation. When the chunin felt all eyes on him (including Ino's) he coughed nervously and shoved his hands in his pockets. Shikamaru raised his eyes to stare at Ino and when the girl noticed his gaze she quickly averted her eyes away.

He inwardly frowned.

Remembering that he was currently in the middle of his protest Shikamaru waved his hands dismissively at the adults.

"Uhhh...nevermind!" he forced a laugh as he took Ino's hand in his. The blonde froze at the sudden contact and she threw the boy a puzzled look.

"Although...If I may ask, Mr.Yamanaka...if you would let us discuss this _**engagement**_ thing furthur..." Shikamaru questioned and gave Ino's hand a light squeeze. The blonde knitted her brows together, perturbed by his actions.

"Or rather, if you'd let us have at least a _temporaryengagement_for now..." he added with a kind smile that made Chouji back away slightly.

Ino stared at Shikamaru as if he had lost all his smarts.

"Uhh! Before you answer daddy, I'd like to have a little _**word **_with Shikamaru...!" Ino interrupted and before the parents could oblige she grabbed the chunin by the arm and dragged him away from the party. She opened the front door swiftly and pushed Shikamaru outside. Before stepping outside she turned to wave to her parents and mumbled a quick "be right baaack!" in the sweetest voice she could muster.

When the two teens were out of earshot Ino turned around to glare at him.

"Whatare you _**doing**_?!" she hissed quietly and Shikamaru's eyes narrowed at her clueless-ness.

"What am I--? Saving **YOU **of course!" He retorted gruffly and crossed his arms over his chest.

Ino's glare hardened and her blue eyes challenged his onyx ones.

"What're you talking about? This is our chance to--"

"Don't you mean MY chance?"

The mind user paused mid-sentence and watched him in question despite the part of her that already knew where this conversation was headed.

"What're you--?"

"Just cut the crap Ino! I know that you don't want to call off the deal!" Shikamaru announced and the blonde stiffened at the truth of his words. Ino bit her lip and lowered her cerulean orbs to stare at the ground. Shikamaru kept his eyes trained on her.

"You don't want to disappoint your father by telling him you were just faking our relationship. When you saw how happy he was you knew you wanted to make him happy and by doing so you would have to use me..." Shikamaru calmly spoke as if he were narrating her every thought. The truth of his words stung her and Ino felt the slight prickling sensation of guilt wrap around her heart. She lowered her head and stared helplessly at the ground. Her shoulders began to quiver as tears began to appear in her eyes. Ino raised her hand unconsciously and clutched the fabric at her chest, letting out a shaky breath. Shikamaru's abilities to read her like an open book never ceased to amaze her...

"Shikamaru..." She began quietly, wringing the lavender fabric of her skirt in her hands. She closed her eyes and looked him straight in the eyes, ready to take on whatever consequence he had set for her.

"I…I know I should've told you earlier and I'm _**really **_sorry..It's just--" she explained sadly, the guilt gnawing away inside her. she looked at her feet once more.

Shikamaru's hardened expression softened and he sighed in annoyance.

"You don't have to _**apologize **_idiot..." He muttered quietly and gave her a light smile. He reached his hand out and ruffled her hair affectionately.

Ino blinked back her tears and she raised her head to stare at him in mild surprise.

_He's not mad...?_

As if he had read her thoughts the shirker gave a crooked grin and hastily brushed the tears from her eyes with his thumb. He sighed.

"I can't believe you'd think I'd be mad by such a thing! You should have told me! I mean, I have to admit that it would've been nice to escape this troublesome circumstance but did you _**really**_ think I'd just leave you? How long have we known each other Ino? It didn't take me long to figure out your real motive for complying with the deal and it was MY decision to go along with it...so _**don't**_ waste your tears on something so frivolous" he frowned and rubbed his thumb over her cheeks gently. Ino bit her lip and choked a sob, the tears finally freeing themselves from her restraints. She smiled at him gratefully and wordlessly threw herself into Shikamaru's arms landing them both a spot on the floor.

Shikamaru bit back a cry of pain and was about to scold the girl before her croaky voice beat him to it.

"I-I thuh-thought you'd heh-hate meeee!" Ino cried as she threw her arms around the chunin's neck.

Shikamaru let out a frustrated sigh and allowed the girl to continue getting his shirt wet. He rolled his eyes before bringing his face down to stare at her.

"Damnit…this is why I _**hate **_dealing with troublesome women! They are so friggin emotional!" He complained to no one in particular and gave another sigh. Ino's light hiccups followed soon after before she threw her head up to look him in the eyes.

"Shut. up." She managed to growl through tear stained eyes. Her threat proved to be ineffective thanks to her current crying condition and because of it the chunin could only blink at her. Before the blonde could even speak again Shikamaru had thrown his head back from laughter.

"He-Hey! Why're you laughing?!" Ino yelled as she wiped her tears away with haste, her cheeks turning red from embarrassment.

The chunin continued to chuckle and he held his arm in front of him to block Ino's 'fists of fury'.

"You're not supposed to laugh! This is the part where you're supposed to _**comfort **_me!" she retorted haughtily but to her dismay her comment had only extended his laughter. The corner of her mouth twitched when her attempts failed and she shook her fists violently.

"Urgh you're _**impossible**_!" The florist sighed in defeat, getting off of Shikamaru and stomping back towards her house.

Shikamaru continued to chuckle as he picked himself from off the floor and brushed the dirt from his pants. As he watched Ino march grumpily away he had to wonder if Ino had invented a new red from the look on her face...

_**(END FLASHY...)**_

X

O

X

"But seriously...thanks Shika.." Ino cooed sweetly and rested her hand on his thight casually.

Shikamaru realized right away what she was scheming and he backed away slowly.

"_Ino_" he warned seriously and inched away from her as far as possible. Ino ignored his warning and crawled forward on her bed slowly. He immediately paled.

"Don't you **DARE**!" he added and gulped nervously when his back met the wall. Ino smiled innocently.

"But this is your reward Shika!" She grinned softly and reached her arms out to encircle his neck.

"Nooo!" Shikamaru growled and grabbed her by the shoulders just as his back fell against the sheets.

Suddenly, her bedroom door shot open...

"Hey Ino! Your mom told me to--"

".….."

".……"

"…….."

"Oh! Hiya Chouji!" Ino finally broke the long silence when she took her eyes off of the surprised-stricken Shikamaru.

"--uhh your mom wanted me to give you this..." Chouji finished, eying the flustered Nara from the corner of his eye. The boy handed her a plain white envelope with the words "To my dearest Ino" written in perfect cursive on the top corner. Ino didn't pay close attention to the letter and took it carelessly.

"Thanks Chou! Make sure to knock next time though, you never know what you might find!" she giggled and gave him a wink. Chouji shuddered and mentally thanked her for the heads up. He once again landed his gaze on the chunin.

"IT'S. NOT. WHAT. IT. LOOKS. LIKE!" Shikamaru tried to mouth from behind Ino, shaking his head furiously. Chouji frowned and gave him a look of disbelief.

"Well I gotta get going! See you guys later " Chouji said as his attention focused focused back to Ino and with a nod he turned to leave.

"Chouji!" Shikamaru shouted but was too late for the lad had already gone on his way.

Shikamaru watched helplessly as his friend left the room and he flopped back on the sheets in despair.

"This is jusr perfect! Now I'll NEVER hear the end of it!" the shadow user sighed as he slapped his forehead, throwing the blonde a glare.

He found his glare easily deflected because Ino's eyes were set on the envelope once again. Shikamaru noticed the familiar envelope and sat up on the bed. He slowly stood up and stood behind her. His curiosity peaked once again when he realized that Ino hadn't noticed him standing behind her.

"What is it?" He asked peculiarly, trying to peek over her shoulder at the contents in the envelope.

Ino quickly snapped from her thoughts and turned around quickly, hiding the paper behind her back.

"Sh-Shikamaru! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she laughed forcefully. The chunin's eyes narrowed when he noticed how her hands shook nervously.

"Ummmm, oh!l I think I left something downstairs! Be right back!" The girl smiled and ran out the door with the envelope in hand.

Shikamaru's brows knitted together once again as he watched Ino's blonde ponytail disappear around the corner.

Even though he had only caught a quick glimpse of it he was sure of what he had seen in the envelope...

Inside were pictures...

Pictures of _**her**_...

-

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* * *

_**Tsuzuku...**_

* * *

_**edit 6/1**_


	10. Lie 9: STALKER

Extra long chapter!

WARNING: Crude language ahead!

_**Lie 9: Stalker**_

Shikamaru clenched his teeth in frustration when his copies all reported back with negative results. Forming hand seals he created another half a dozen shadow clones in hopes of making quicker progress. The look in his eyes told the clones all they needed to know and in a flash they immediately dispersed in different directions. With a sigh Shikamaru watched as the sun began to dip behind the trees and he quickened his pace, jumping from branch to branch with incredible speed.

His fists clenched as he reached a clearing that overlooked the whole village.

"Ino…" he whispered breathlessly.

"…where are you?"

X

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X

_**13 hours ago…**_

Morning light crept through the blinds in Yamanaka Ino's bedroom causing the walls to illuminate in a warm glow. Ino's eyes fluttered open and she sat up slowly, quietly stretching her arms above her head with a tired groan. She rubbed the sleep from her cerulean orbs before pulling up the blinds to witness mornings day.

From the corner of her eye she spotted the purple teddy bear Shikamaru had won her a week ago. A small smile crept across her face as she reached out towards the plushie. She gently grasped the bear and brought her knees up to her chest, letting the bear rest in her lap.

"It's already been two weeks huh?" she spoke gently, silently stroking the bear's soft fur. Thankfully she got her father to put their engagement on a 'hiatus' until furthur notice. With a small content sigh she hugged the bear closer and closed her eyes. Even if traces of him had already disappeared from the bear she could still recall Shikamaru's scent perfectly.

She released her hug on the toy and brought it to sit on her knees.

"Shikamaru should be getting back from his mission soon!" she exclaimed excitedly and held the bear's hands up in a cheering action. She grinned.

"I know! I'm excited too! He's been gone for a week already! I can't wait to see him!"

The bear's head tilted skeptically to the side. Ino frowned.

"Oh yeah, that's right…I had a date with Shinichi-kun planned…" The blonde's brows knitted in contemplation. After a moments hesitation she sighed.

"I guess Shikamaru's gonna have to wait…"

The bear's head bowed dejectedly.

"I know. I feel sad too, but it's not like Shika's my _**only**_ priority right now! There are other boys to see!"

Silence...

Ino gasped.

"_**Whore**_?! Well it takes one to know one!"

After a brief pause Ino finally erupted into fits of giggles, feeling silly beyond belief. She sighed and removed the bear from off her knees, setting it back down as she got out of bed. Ino allowed a yawn to escape her lips before stretching once again, clasping her hands above her head until her creamy skin peeked out from beneath her small tank top.

"Well, I guess I should get dressed now! I'll probably just cut off my date short so I have more time with Shikamaru!" Ino announced decisively as she grabbed her towel and headed for the bathroom, a perky spring in each step as she thought of the lazy boy.

The lavender plushie sat on the bed motionlessly with its eyes facing Ino's disappearing back.

Regardless of the fact that it was an inanimate object, there was no denying it.

The bear had smiled.

X

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X

_**11 hours and 45 minutes ago…**_

Ino grimaced when a familiar white envelope was passed to her by her mother.

"You've been getting these a lot lately sweetie…Have you tried turning the young man down?" Her mother inquired worriedly. Her motherly instincts told her that Ino was perturbed by the letters as much as she was.

"Don't worry mom, it's fine…" Ino smiled with reassurance and turned away, quietly making her way up the stairs.

_This guy is __**really**__ persistent…_the blonde thought and opened up the envelope to reveal yet more pictures of her and a lame hand written love letter. Ino had thought that if she ignored the letters the guy would eventually stop. Her eyes flickered to the note in her hand. The messages her 'stalker' sent her were becoming more and more…_**strange**_ with every letter she received. Ino folded the letter and inwardly shivered, pulling her drawer open so she could stuff the envelope and all of its contents inside.

She let out a comforting sigh.

She would be fine. After all, she _**WAS**_ a kunoichi so if this guy tried to pull something she'd be able to defend herself.

With the encouraging statement in mind Ino grabbed her hair brush and went to get ready for her date.

X

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X

_**10 hours and 5 minutes ago…**_

Giving herself a once over in the mirror Ino inspected her outfit carefully. Her usual lavender top was perfectly creaseless and her skirt pressed clean. She tilted her head to the left to inspect her hair and with an approving nod she headed for the door. With one last glance behind her she smiled flirtatiously in the mirror and grinned.

Perfect.

Now all she had left to do was meet Shika--uh _**Shin**_ at the bookstore in downtown Konoha (the area where she was bound to go unrecognized).

Ino frowned. Why had she thought of her lazy teammate just then?

With a light shrug she bounded down the stairs and out of her house.

-

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_**Around the same time elsewhere…**_

"Shikamaru-san!"

Onyx orbs drifted away from the clear blue sky until they landed on a long indigo-haired girl. The girl's cloudy eyes settled on his emotionless face before fiddling with her fingers.

"A-Ano…Shino-kun says it is time to go and that the mission was a success" Hinata announced quietly. Shikamaru gave her an acknowledging nod before sitting up with a yawn. The Nara spawn stood up from his grassy spot and proceeded to stretch. He honestly had no idea why he was needed for this mission since Shino and Lee obviously had everything covered already. The Aburame's smarts was as recognizable as his after all. As the two teens made their way back to camp Hinata glanced over at the chunin.

"Um, is everything okay Shikamaru-san? You seem a little…_tired_ today…at least more then usual…" the girl noted, hoping that she wasn't prying too much. The boy merely yawned.

"Ah…yeah...nothing that I can't handle though…" he answered and threw the girl a small reassuring smile.

"But you seem to be lacking sleep…I'm sorry if we have been overworking you…" Hinata observed as she witnessed the dark circles under his eyes and remembered the countless nights Shikamaru stayed up to perfect the infiltration plans. With another yawn Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.

"Nah, Don't worry about it Hinata. It was my job to plan out the strategies anyway. I'm just glad everyone made it out safely"

Hinata nodded meekly and the two continued to tread down the dirt path.

"Alright…but I'll deliver the mission report to Hokage-sama so you can head straight home after we arrive in Konoha"

Shikamaru threw the girl a thankful smile.

X

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X

_**7 hours ago…**_

Ino was not pleased.

Throughout the first hour of her date she was positive that her current boyfriend Shin had a ridiculous idea that he was going to get laid today. After all, he had been trying to grope her rear **seven** times, have a feel of her tits **five** times and convince her to go 'somewhere private' _**ten**_ times.

Did he really think she was _**THAT**_ easy??

She seriously needed to stop dating such horn dogs.

But then again, he was cute and he had cash.

Ino sighed. She was such a gold digger! Not that it mattered, these little flings weren't even worth calling 'dates' anyway. Shin wasn't her boyfriend. He was her _**toy**_.

And as sad as she was to admit it, she had found herself a _**defective**_ toy…

The blonde mentally noted to try and date more courteous guys next time.

She rolled her eyes. It was too bad 'gentlemanly' guys were a dying breed…

_There is no one out there suitable for MY baby girl! _

Ino cupped her chin in her hands, pursing her lips cutely. Maybe her father was right…_**(Unknown to Ino, at this particular memory Inoichi had secretly whispered "Except Shikamaru" under his breath)**_

Just then, for some **strange** reason the blonde found herself thinking of that same lazy bum of hers.

…Which was very odd because she had NO CLUE what he was doing in her mind at such a random time…

Ino's sigh turned into a yelp when she felt a rough calloused hand run up her thigh slowly.

"Sh-Shin! You're back!" she forced a smile as she shifted to the edge of the seat, hoping to put as much distance between them as possible. To her dismay the boy only scooted closer to her.

"Ino babe, I'm getting tired of this place…lets go somewhere….more _**quiet**_ alright?" The brunette suggested, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Ino inwardly scowled. Make that _**ELEVEN**_ times….

"Ah, well…you know Shin…it's _**that time of month**_ for me so uh…I don't think we can 'do anything' tonight…" she smiled apologetically. The boy cocked his brow higher.

"Huh?"

_Mental note, get someone gentlemanly AND smart!_

"I can't pleasure you tonight" Ino tried again in a low whisper.

Awareness finally dawned on the boys face.

"Does that mean we can't have sex?" Shin questioned, his brows knitting skeptically.

Ino resisted the urge to smack her forehead.

"Yeah…sorry but…maybe next time?" Ino lied and watched as his face twisted into anger and disappointment. Without another word she sat up quickly.

"Please excuse me while I go wash up" the blonde said politely as she squeezed out of the small booth. She had to make her escape before Shin started one of _**THOSE**_ rants. Judging from his personality Shin was the type of guy who would bitch about not getting what he wanted. He was probably physical too (Although Ino could take him on any day…).

With the click of her heels Ino made her way to the ladies room. She pushed open the swinging door to reveal that the whole place was unoccupied. Humming a small tune she placed her purse on the marble counter and pulled out her compact to apply her makeup. She popped the lid off her mascara and held the compact close to her face. As she gently leaned onto the counter, brushing her upper lash; Ino spotted something in the mirrors reflection.

Her eyes suddenly widened and before she could make out a scream a cloth was shoved forcefully into her mouth. The blonde tried to struggle free but the strange odor that filled her nostrils was intoxicating and she felt her knees buck from underneath her.

It wasn't long before her eyelids drifted shut and she gave into the darkness…

X

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X

_**4 hours and 17 minutes…**_

A sigh of relief escaped Shikamaru's lips when he spotted the familiar welcoming gates of Konoha. The more he thought of his comfortable bed the faster he wanted to get there. When the four teens reached the gate Hinata explained that she and Shino would go report to the Hokage. After listening to Lee's elongated peppy talk about how happy he was that the mission had gone by flawlessly Shikamaru turned around to make his way home.

"Shikamaru-kun!" A frantic cry called from behind him. Surprised to hear the voice the boy turned around curiously.

"Yamanaka-san?" He questioned as he stopped and waited for the woman to catch her breathe. The boy couldn't help but feel that something was wrong…

"Have you seen Ino?" The older woman asked when she finally calmed herself. Shikamaru could tell that she had been searching for her daughter for a good while now judging from the sweat glistening on her face.

"Um…no, I just got back from a mission…is something wrong?"

Ino's mother held her hand in front of her mouth in a contemplative silence and her eyes grew heavy with worry.

"Well, maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions but Ino has been missing since this morning. She told me she was going to be at Sakura's this afternoon until you get back from your mission. I ran into Sakura's mother earlier and she said that Ino hasn't been over today so I got a little worried…"

Shikamaru frowned. He couldn't believe Ino would go and worry her mother like this!

"I'm sure she's just out around town or something…" he thought as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. Ino's mom bit her lip.

"I know…but…I can't shake this feeling that something has happened to her…"

With another glance at the worried expression on the woman's face Shikamaru sighed.

"I'll go look for her Yamanaka-san, you look like you could use some rest" Shikamaru offered with a forced smile. The woman's eyes lit up a bit.

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother…"

The raven haired boy shook his head.

"It's fine, I was going to go look for Ino anyways" he lied and gave her a small smile.

The older woman took his hand in hers.

"Oh! Would you? That would be so kind of you!" she smiled and thanked him repeatedly.

Shikamaru forced another smile and when he finally got the woman to go back home he reluctantly headed to the direction opposite of his intentional destination.

_Crap…why does Ino have to be so damn troublesome?!_

X

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X

_**3 hours and 3 minutes…**_

"…This is really pointless...Ino's probably on a date right now..." Shikamaru grumbled after asking Kiba if he had seen her today. The dog lover said he had not and asked Shino who was training behind him. The stoic boy shook his head and once again Shikamaru's leads went dead.

The chunin had searched for her at all the regular places but to no avail he couldn't even find a bit of information on her.

"Mrphh—Ee-no?" Naruto managed to say through his mouth full of ramen. Shikamaru winced at the messy sight before him. The genki ninja rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Nuh uh, can't say I have seen her. What about you Hinata?" Naruto asked as he turned to the girl eating her ramen politely by his side. Hinata wiped her mouth with a napkin before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry Shikamaru-san, I haven't seen her ever since we left Konoha" Hinata replied regretfully. She observed the boy before adding "I guess you didn't find much sleep huh?"

Shikamaru scowled grumpily and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"No…I've been looking for the troublesome woman ever since I got back…" he frowned and Hinata giggled.

"Well I hope you find her soon then"

Shikamaru gave a quick nod.

"Yeah, thanks you two…" he mumbled before turning to leave.

"Tell us if you find her! We'll help you once we finish!" Naruto suggested and without looking back the chunin waved his hand as a sign of gratitude.

_Okay, so the fact that no one in __**this **__area has seen Ino means that she probably went off to the other side of town where she would go unrecognized. Or rather, where she could have a fling with a guy without people finding out…_

With his newly acquired theory Shikamaru went on his way.

X

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X

_**2 hours and 30 minutes…**_

**(In a disclosed location)**

"How is she?" A shadowy figure asked anxiously as it paced back and forth in the small room. The boy beside him frowned.

"Still out, I guess the stuff we made was a little _**too**_ strong…although I didn't think a skilled kunoichi like her would be this easy to capture…"

The figure fidgeted nervously and his glasses gleamed from the small sunlight that seeped through the broken windows.

"I…I don't think this is a good idea…"

The taller figure frowned.

"Don't tell me you're backing out now…Look, you said yourself she wouldn't notice you unless something drastic happens"

"B-Bu-But I didn't mean it like th-this!"

A sigh escaped the other boy's lips.

"Just chill, the damage has been done. You can't turn back half-assed now"

The smaller, meeker figure swallowed hard and glanced at the gorgeous blonde lying unconscious in the corner.

"Y-Yeah…you're right…"

-

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_**Around the same time with our 'Hero'…**_

"Excuse me, have you seen a blonde haired kunoichi with her hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a purple sleeveless top with a matching skirt?"

Shikamaru waited for the group of girls to answer but they seemed to be occupied with something at the moment. How unusual since the last _**three**_ group of girls he had asked reacted the same way…

_Hn, what's with these girls today?..._The chunin frowned when he recognized the familiar glazed look in their eyes.

The long black-haired girl finally snapped out of her reverie and blushed hotly.

"U-Um, no…I haven't…" she said shyly and averted her eyes to the ground.

Shikamaru raised a clueless brow.

"Bu-But if you'd like I'd--"

"Thanks for your time…" he muttered bluntly, not realizing that the girl was trying to say something. Without another word he continued his tiring search.

The girls watched with lust as the boy left soundlessly and paused again to ask a merchant a few yards away. They all turned towards one another until they met each others eyes.

Shikamaru's ears picked up some sort of high pitched squealing but brushed the sound away. He had other things to deal with and that included finding his very troublesome teammate.

"Gah, I probably have the worst luck ever…" The shadow user groaned and continued to run his eyes over the crowded street.

"Hey man didn't you have a date with that blonde chick this afternoon?"

For some reason that one sentence caught Shikamaru's attention and he turned towards his right to where a group of guys stood talking in a small alleyway.

"Who, the Yamanaka bitch?"

The chunin narrowed his eyes but said nothing as he made his way towards the group.

"Bitch?? Hahaha! What happened Shin? She dump you?" A tall blonde laughed as he brought his cigarette to his lips. The boy referred to as 'Shin' scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.

He turned his head away ignorantly.

"Whatever man, she just refused to have sex with me…"

At the comment the other boys howled with laughter causing Shin to sulk further.

"Shut the hell up! She probably wasn't even worth it anyway, I heard that she's just a slut who's looking for a good fuck so I decided to date her"

As he listened Shikamaru was unaware of the fact that his fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

"Aw man, that's harsh. But she was a total babe…how I'd like to have shown her a few of _**my**_ moves…" the blonde licked his lips and tapped his cigarette, watching as the ashes fell to the floor.

The sound of footsteps made the group of boys turn around.

Shikamaru stood in front of the group, his expression as blank as ever.

"Who the hell are you?" Shin asked as he glared at the boy. The newcomer remained unfazed.

"I'm looking for a girl…her name's Yamanaka Ino and I hear she was last seen with you…" the chunin spoke calmly.

Shin and his goons eyed the head band tied to the boys sleeve and they grimaced.

"Don't think cuz you're a shinobi we'd show you some respect" One of the younger boys spoke up. Shikamaru scratched his head carelessly.

"I'm not here to pick a fight, I just wanna know if you've seen her...you were with her last right?" he yawned and stuffed a hand in his pocket.

Shin smirked, somehow irked by this guys laid back attitude.

"Yeah, I know where she's been last but that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you" he snorted and watched the guy cautiously. Was this guy really a shinobi? He didn't even look like he could throw a proper punch.

The chunin inwardly groaned. Damnit…something told him these idiots couldn't be of help so easily. Someone out there must enjoy watching him go through these troublesome circumstances…

Shikamaru sighed.

"Look, just answer the question and we can all get on with our lives…" he frowned and slouched lazily.

Shin smirked again.

"Oh yeah? What're you going to do if I don't?"

Shikamaru's eyes slowly drifted from the sky to meet the boy's confident face.

He smirked.

X

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_**2 hours and 3 minutes…**_

"GAHHHH! GAHHHHHHHHHH! ALRIGHT! **ALRIGHT**! I'LL TELL YOU!!"

Shikamaru smirked.

"Hn. I didn't think a guy like you would be scared of heights" he commented lazily as he stood atop a roof overlooking his 'masterpiece'.

Shinichi and his cronies were currently strung upside down by their feet on an electric pole wire. Shin tried his best to break free but the wires encircling his body proved to be quite a challenge. The brunette scowled at the laid back boy.

"You know what? Fu--k you! I'm not going to tell you anything!"

The crying pleas from his friends begged to differ.

Shikamaru sighed.

"Alright then…" he said calmly and with a flick of his wrist sent something flying towards the group of delinquents.

Shin paled when he recognized the slip of paper on his face.

"GRAAH!! OI SHIN! JUST TELL HIM ALREADY!" the tall blonde hanging beside him cried as he struggled to get the explosive tag off his face.

"And just to prove that I'm dead serious…" Shikamaru began coolly as he stood up slowly. He let an explosive tag flutter down before the five boys, waiting for it to get a good enough distance away. The boys watched as he aimed his chakra-filled kunai at it. With another swift throw the kunai pierced the tag making it explode into bits of fire.

At the sight one of the boys began to cry and Shikamaru thought the other one had fainted.

The brunette growled as he watched the bits of paper flutter helplessly to the floor.

He closed his eyes in defeat.

"…Th-the last time I saw her was at the sushi restaurant by the weapons shop…NOW GET ME DOWN YOU BASTARD OR I'LL--HEY! **HEY**! **WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!**" the boy screamed when he saw Shikamaru turn around casually.

The shadow possessor waved a dismissive hand.

"Don't worry, the wire can't take it much longer and before you know it--"

A snapping sound interrupted the boy's explanation and five unified cries filled the area. Shikamaru shrugged and continued on his way.

At least they had trash bags to cushion them…

X

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X

_**1 hour and 20 minutes…**_

The Nara spawn scratched his head. It had been 4 hours since his search and he still had no leads to Ino. He did, however; have her belongings that the manager had found in the bathroom.

Shikamaru bit his lip. Ino wasn't one to just carelessly leave her things unattended. And the manager had said that her compact mirror had been found on the floor.

It wouldn't make sense for Ino to carelessly drop her things and just leave…(especially not without her make-up)

The shirker frowned. He hoped his hunch wasn't correct but given his intelligence level the chances were unlikely…

-

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-

"Shit…"

Shikamaru stood stock still as his eyes roamed the many white envelopes in Ino's drawer. He was positive that the last time he had seen her there was half as much letters as there was now. Pulling the drawer out he dumped the contents out, scattering the letters and pictures across her desk. He was lucky that her parents were out.

With careful observation Shikamaru pulled out each bundle of pictures and he examined them one at a time. They were all random with Ino pictured at different places during different times.

But they all had one thing in common.

The shadow user sifted through the pictures a third time just to make sure.

"These pictures were ALL taken in Konoha…" he whispered and kept his eyes trained on the collage of photos in front of him.

_So whoever took these obviously resides here…_

Shikamaru shifted through the stack of photos once again and his fingers halted above a certain picture.

Out of curiosity he picked it up.

It was a picture from the day he and Ino had their date, the time when they had 'shared' the ice cream. In the photo Ino was blushing hotly as Shikamaru grabbed her wrist and bit into her ice cream cone.

Funny…he didn't remember this reaction from her.

Somewhere in his mind he thought that Ino- the epitome of all evil- had actually looked _**cute**_ in this shot. (An embarrassed Ino was a rare sight after all…)

The words BLACKMAIL flashed before him and Shikamaru was about to pocket the snapshot until a thought crossed his mind. It happened so quickly. It felt as if the sudden realization caused his heartbeat to stop.

In a matter of seconds Shikamaru had hastily shoved the pictures back into the drawer and after placing the drawer back in the desk he made a dash for the front door.

X

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X

Hushed murmurs reflected off the metal walls of the small shack. The sun had already set behind the trees a few moments ago and the stars were beginning to shine outside the small tinted window. A shuffling of feet was heard and Ino tried her best to snap out of her unconsciousness. She was on the borderline of a dream and reality. She could feel what was going on around her but she felt as if she were still asleep.

She felt so disoriented. Where was she? Hadn't she just been in the bathroom awhile ago? When did she fall asleep?

"A-ah! She's waking up!"

The blonde groaned as she sat up slowly, her head aching as if she had consumed a whole bottle of sake the night before. Her eyes fluttered open and she noticed the room pitch black sans the small candle flickering in the corner. She tried to move her hands but they were currently tied behind her back with a metal wire.

Ino shifted on the thin mattress, causing the springs to give a loud creak. As she rubbed her head she began to become aware of her surroundings. She was in a small shed with the metal walls tinted with rust. The place smelled of oil and coal.

With another groan Ino's eyes began to adjust to the sudden darkness.

She stiffened.

Before her stood three figures…

X

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X

_**(Resuming scene from Intro…)**_

_How could I be so stupid?! The fact that Ino was captured by this guy proves that he's dangerous! If I don't find her in time--_

Shikamaru swallowed hard. He didn't want to start thinking about the 'what ifs'. He had already wasted enough of his time today. The chunin clenched his fists.

_If I had to take a guess Ino should've been missing since around 4 today._

He growled. Even if he managed to find out when she had disappeared he had no idea _**where**_ to find her! There was nothing he could do to pinpoint the area she was at! It would take forever to scout the whole village even **WITH** the help of the others.

"Damnit!" he cried as he punched the concrete building. He was currently standing on a roof in the middle of the village.

He cringed.

Why was it that despite his high IQ he couldn't even think of one strategy right now?

Why was it that when he really needed his abilities most they were of no use?

This was the first time Shikamaru had ever felt this insecure. If the situation wasn't as dire he would've laughed about how it was always Ino who managed to prove him wrong. The shadow user let out a shaky breath. He needed to calm down. He was losing focus because he kept on thinking about his mistakes. Shikamaru let out a calming sigh and closed his eyes.

He needed to clear his mind.

The sound of rustling paper brought him out of his thoughts. His face grew sour from the interruption but his eyes darted towards the direction of the noise. A single piece of paper stuck out from his jacket. With a cocked brow Shikamaru fished the letter out of his pocket. He probably stuffed one of the letters in his pocket out of hurry back at Ino's place.

Before casting the letter aside he managed to catch a glimpse of the writing.

His coal black eyes widened.

He didn't know how long he had ran or if his guess was correct but before he knew it Shikamaru was standing in front of a large run down building near the outskirts of town. He examined the dormitory carefully. The paint on the walls was beginning to chip off and some of the windows were even boarded shut. It was amazing that people actually lived here. Shikamaru scanned his surroundings quickly in spite of the fact that Konoha was now blanketed in darkness and only the glittering stars acted as his guide. He inwardly cursed and wished that he possessed the Hyuga's bloodline right now.

Before he could even take a step, an all too familiar scream pierced through the thick of the night causing his head to pivot towards the sound.

_Ino!_

In mere seconds Shikamaru made a break for the back alleyway until he came across a small dilapidated shack. Without a moments hesitation he flung the door open.

"Ino!" he cried in alarm, getting his kunai ready.

"I can't _believe_ you! THAT WAS SOOO CHEAP!"

Shikamaru paused, frozen in place as he watched the scene before him.

His blonde teammate sat around a square table with cards in her hands as she glared at the burly man sitting beside her. Her glare evaporated when she spotted her friend standing at the entrance. Her cerulean orbs glanced at Shikamaru before turning to the tall teenager sitting across from her.

"See! I told you he would come!" she stated with a triumphant smirk planted on her features.

The tall boy scowled.

"You said he would find you by _**midnight**_ and now it's 12:30 so no, it doesn't count" he retaliated. Ino pouted.

Shikamaru remained completely motionless and a look of bewilderment crossed his face.

"Shikamaru! Why couldn't you have found me sooner? Now I owe him fifty ryou!" Ino whined as she sulked into her seat.

The said deer boy blinked.

"Wha-WHAT THE_** HELL**_?!" he managed to choke out.

The scrawny glasses adorning boy fiddled with his hands nervously.

"H-he doesn't look too pleased Ino-san…"

Ino sat up quietly, raising her hands as a means of surrender. She maneuvered out of her seat and pushed her chair in, slowly making her way towards the boy. She crossed the dimly lit room until she stood before him.

"Luh-Look Shika…just calm down and I'll explain everything to-- you?"

The florist let out a surprised squeak when she felt the wind suddenly knocked out of her. Ino let out a gasp when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her small waist. She gazed at him with shock.

"Sh-Shikamaru?" she managed to say when he buried his head at the base of her neck.

The three surprised men stared wide-eyed before the smallest of them stood up quietly and ushered the other two to follow. Ino didn't even notice the door closing shut, all she could think about was the soft body pressed against hers.

"You troublesome…_**troublesome**_ woman!" Shikamaru breathed as he tightened his hold on the girl. Ino watched him quietly, not even sure if he knew how badly he was shaking. She felt as if he were holding on for dear life. Ino swallowed hard and fought down a blush. She had never seen Shikamaru this way. Had he really been that intent on finding her? Was the once laid back chunin she had known all her life actually acting distraught because of this, quote, "troublesome-woman-whom-I-will-never-show-sympathy-for"?

His shaking figure answered all.

Letting out a small smile she wrapped her arms around his neck, hoping to calm him down.

"I'm sorry for worrying you Shikamaru…I'm fine now…really" she whispered into his ear soothingly. She felt his shaking hands gradually come to a stop and she tightened the embrace.

Ino muffled a squeak when a force suddenly pushed her on the bed.

"Shi-Shikamaru! What're you doing?!" her face colored as she stared at the boy on top of her. He made no attempt to move.

Her face turned an even brighter shade of red and she moved to shove the boy off of her. Her hand paused when she heard his light even breaths. With careful hands she flipped the boy over onto his back.

_He…he's asleep?!_

Ino let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding and she brushed her bangs from her face. With a sigh she sat up on the bed, her legs tucked underneath her.

"How cute..." she smiled warmly looking at his sleeping face.

_He must've been really tired…_she thought as she pursed her lips together. A long moment of silence passed and she found herself drinking in his features. Shkaamaru's face had become a little rugged from the long mission. She absentmindedly brought her hand to stroke his hair. Her delicate fingertips traced his jaw line and then around his ear. Her eyes remained mesmerized as she tucked a stray hair that hung from his face in place before moving to stroke his cheek gently. Ino's fingers continued to roam down Shikamaru's face until she reached his lips and she traced them delicately with her thumb.

Shikamaru's steady breathing was like a siren's song. It had an affect on her and she felt as if she was getting pulled in every time his chest rose and fell in sync with his breathing. She knew if she didn't stop now the siren's song would surely pull her towards her 'death'.

She didn't know what had possessed her to do her next move. Perhaps it was her tiredness kicking in or even how happy she felt to finally see him again.

Ino didn't realize how close her face had gotten to Shikamaru's. Her eyes trained on his inviting lips as his warm breath fanned her cheeks. Something in her head was telling her to retreat but she ignored it. He looked so peaceful. The moonlight reflected off his features so she could make out his sleeping face and she sucked in a breath.

Ever so slowly she closed her eyes and closed the gap between them.

It was a slow and chaste kiss that lasted less then five seconds but had made something stir in the pit of Ino's stomach.

Realizing what she had just done she pulled away quickly and awareness finally retrned. The florist let out a small gasp and covered her mouth as her face turned a brighthshade of pink.

She felt her heart skip a beat as she watched Shikamaru continue to sleep; unaware of what she had just done to him.

Swallowing hard she clutched at her chest, hoping to stop the erratic heart beats drumming loudly within her. With extra delicateness she traced the lingering sensation with her forefinger.

Her lips parted.

"Uh oh…"

X

O

X

"Umm Mr. Yamanaka sir?"

Said Yamanaka turned to face the team ten member.

"Yes Chouji?"

"Shouldn't we be searching for Ino right now?" the boy suggested as he walked with the man towards Shikamaru's house. Inoichi waved a dismissive hand.

"Oh it's fine, just let Shikamaru handle it" the man replied confidently as he watched the glittering night sky. Chouji had to wonder if Inoichi had gone insane. He was actually that confident that Shikamaru would find her? The boy nodded meekly when Inoichi gave him a look but couldn't help the worry that was eating away at him.

"So uh, are you really going to do this? I don't think Shikamaru and Ino will be happy about it…" the chip lover spoke as he opened the door to Shikamaru's house (Shikato and Yoshino were currently at the Yamanaka's).

Ino's father nodded.

"Yes I'm sure boy, just go get Shikamaru's things"

With a hesitant nod Chouji made his way up the stairs.

_I really don't think this is a good idea…_

The food lover crossed the hallway and made his way into his friend's room, he casually flicked on the lights and examined the area. At least there wasn't much stuff to move…

Chouji headed toward Shikamaru's bed and by accident bumped into the shogi board causing the pieces to scatter across the floor. The boy sighed and reluctantly knelt down to pick up the pieces. He brought his head close to the floor to check if any had fallen under the bed. As Chouji grabbed the pieces under the mattress a white note caught his attention. Curiously, he extended his arm and grabbed the folded paper that was lying next to the wall.

Chouji got to his feet quickly and looked at the folded piece of paper, debating on whether he should take a peek or not. He shrugged. It wasn't like Shikamaru had any secrets to hide anyways…

With his final words of reassurance Chouji opened up the note.

Reading the top of the note his thought process immediately came to a halt.

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* * *

_**Tsuzuku...**_

* * *

**CHECK. THE. POLL!**

LIKE ALWAYS, READ AND **REVIEW**!!

edit 6/1


	11. Lie 10: BROTHER

It's been awhile…

_**Lie 10- Brother**_

Four days have passed since the 'kidnapping' incident and everything had been going, as Shikamaru had put it, "_Just PEACHY_" (Sarcasm) from there. At first the two teens could not imagine any punishment worst than a good long lecture and a smack on the wrist. Ino had pointed out that her father would not do anything extreme ("I mean, he'd be happy that you 'saved' me right?") and that things would go well.

Only later would she find out that she had never been so wrong in her life.

"Kyaa!"

Yamanaka Ino turned her head towards the flustered cry, spotting a girl she assumed to be around her age lying face first on the ground. Immediately abandoning her thoughts she ran over to the stranger.

"Are you alright?" Ino asked while trying to avoid stepping on the groceries scattered across the floor. Ino extended her hand, helping the girl up.

"Ah, yes I'm fine. It happens all the time, thank-you for your hospitality!" she laughed in embarrassment and brushed her auburn bangs from her face. Turning to leave, the brunette gave Ino a polite nod.

Ino stared at her disappearing figure in bewilderment. She cupped her hands over her mouth at once.

"Hey! Wait! What about your groceries?!"

She watched as the girl stopped in her tracks and lower her head in what Ino had guessed was shame. The brunette turned around slowly with her eyes cast down at the ground and her face as vibrant as a cherry. She muttered a quick sorry (as to which Ino had no idea why she was even apologizing) and bent down to pick up her belongings. Ino, feeling a sense of pity for the girl knelt down beside her. She was surprised by the look of utter shock that crossed the girl's face.

"N-No! It's okay! You really don't have to!" The girl whispered quietly and something about her flustered face reminded Ino of Hyuga Hinata. Ino ignored the girl's protests and continued to help her pick up the groceries.

"Th-thank-you very much! I am indebt to your act of kindness!" She thanked with the same gratitude one would use after being saved from a pack of blood thirsty wolves.

The florist gave her a look of wonder before giggling.

"It's alright, all I did was lend a helping hand"

The stranger smiled politely in response.

"Um, I'm Kisaragi Nemu, it's a pleasure to meet you" the girl introduced and held out her hand. Ino took her hand without hesitation.

"Yamanaka Ino" the mind user introduced while shaking her hand.

She observed Nemu's clothes carefully. The girl had awfully high tastes. Ino couldn't help but feel envious of the girl's designer clothes. If it weren't for her being a ninja she'd be wearing the same kind of clothes. A piece of shining metal seemed to wink at Ino making her focus her blue eyes on the band tied around the girl's arm.

"Wha-? You're a kunoichi?!" she asked in surprise, eying the Konoha head band tied around the girls' upper sleeve. Nemu blinked in surprise before following the blondes gaze.

"I've never seen you around Konoha before!" Ino added after concluding that the head band was indeed the real thing. Nemu smiled while balancing the paper bags in her arms.

"Ah, yes. It was my father's wish so I came here to become a shinobi. I just moved into this village a few days ago"

Ino pursed her lips, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm…I see…you're a genin then?"

Nemu nodded. "That is correct"

Ino crossed her arms in contemplation. It might be a rude thought but she didn't see this girl as the ninja type. She didn't look strong and she was obviously a klutz. Plus she had this 'high class' aura around her. She wasn't even kunoichi material. The florist shook her head.

_Like I'm one to talk…_

"Oh my goodness! I should be on my way now! It was nice to meet you Ino-san!" The coffee-eyed girl announced in haste. Ino snapped out of her thoughts.

"Oh, um yeah, nice to meet you too. Good luck with your training"

Nemu gave her a brilliant smile and turned around, scurrying out of the store in a hurry. Ino's eyes widened in alarm when Nemu once again tripped with another "kyaa!". The florist was ready to aid the girl but she distinctly heard an "I'm okay!". Nemu picked herself up and turned to Ino, giving her a sloppy grin before bowing once again and hurrying home. The blonde tilted her head skeptically before realizing her previous task at hand. She watched Nemu leave the store and she shook her head in half amusement. She fished inside her pouch and pulled out a small folded piece of paper. Unfolding the note she scanned the list quickly.

X

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X

"Pleasure doing business with you! Come again soon!"

Ino nodded curtly to the store merchant and walked out of the store with a bag in hand. She fished her hand into the bag and pulled out the grocery list.

"Okay…carrots, lettuce, onions…check…"

"Yamanaka-san!"

Ino averted her eyes away from the piece of paper and turned her head while repositioning the purse strap that hung limply off her shoulder. When finally catching sight of the voice's owner amongst the small crowd her sapphire eyes lit up with delight.

"Taro-kun!" she called in surprise as the glasses adorning boy stopped just before her. The ex-kidnapper/stalker (?) grinned and pushed his circular glasses up the bridge of his nose. Ino smiled brightly.

"What a coincidence seeing you here! How have you been? Not kidnapping any more girls are you?" Ino teased as she stuffed the troublesome list in her pocket while ignoring the crumpling noises. Taro seemed taken back by the comment and quickly held up his hands in defense.

"N-No! I haven't—That's not-! I-I--!" he countered and began to flail his arms around as if trying to fly. Ino laughed and shook her head in amusement.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! I know you'd never do that again"

Taro blushed crimson when he locked eyes with the girl and he lowered his gaze to the floor. Scratching his head nervously he began his apology.

"I…I'm really sorry again Yamanaka-san…I don't know how I can make it up to you…"

Ino sighed and placed her free hand on her hip. What was this? The twentieth apology already? She had lost count...

Her eyes softened at the kind hearted boy.

"Well, you can start by dropping the last name and calling me Ino"

Taro's eyes widened in surprise before shaking his head.

"Ah, well…I-I'm not sure that I should--"

Another sigh made its way up Ino's throat and she haughtily looked away while crossing her arms.

"Well I guess I'll just have to turn you in then!"

The ex-stalker gaped stupidly at her threat.

"Agh! N-No! I'm sorry Yamana—! um—I-Ino…" He finally complied, the name sounding foreign on his tongue. Ino turned her head slightly and gave him a satisfied smile.

"Also, to make it up to me you have to let me come over again! I miss your faces after I beat the crap out of you guys in Poker"

Taro laughed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. The two friends resumed their walk, chatting about simple things.

After laughing about a short story about Ino's past Taro cleared his throat, fixing his glasses slightly.

"So did the two of you get into trouble after getting home?"

The loud groan Ino emitted told the raven haired boy all he needed to know. She raised her head to stare at the stray wisps of clouds that painted the sky.

"Actually Shikamaru was scared that my father would try to kill him or something…" the blonde started as she recalled the past days events. Taro raised a curious brow when her pause seemed to extend its limits. Ino gave him a look from the corner of her eye.

"Treat me to lunch and I'll tell you…" she stopped and gave him a smirk "I haven't eaten all day so I'm expecting a feast!"

Taro blinked in surprise but followed Ino regardless as she entered a small restaurant. Watching the blonde's disappearing form he patted his pocket quickly, his other hand holding a manila folder.

He hoped he had enough money…

X

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X

Akimichi Chouji crossed his arms as he sat on his friend's bed. He wasn't sure how to bring up the matter of the contract. Since the contract had technically been in a hidden place (at least Shikamaru's definition of 'hidden'), he thought that Shikamaru would think he had been snooping around. Chouji let out a gruff sigh and watched mindlessly as Shikamaru set up the shogi board.

Shikamaru eyed the size changer as he set up the pieces.

"Is there something you have to tell me? I know you're not just here to play a game"

Damn that IQ of his!

Chouji coughed slightly, scratching his head as a single question popped in his head.

_Should I tell the truth or should I lie??_

Shikamaru leant his elbow on his crossed leg, resting his cheek on the base of his palm. He sported his usual blank expression and finished placing the last piece in place.

"So I guess you know about me and Ino huh?"

Chouji would have fallen face first on the hardwood floor if he wasn't concentrating on how the hell Shikamaru had found out about him knowing. He then sighed. Of course Shikamaru knew. He was _Shikamaru_ after all.

Chouji frowned, slightly perturbed that Shikamaru had beaten him to the punch.

"Okay, so I know about the contract; but how did you find out?" he confessed, wondering how the shirker's mind worked.

Shikamaru shrugged as if the answer was obvious.

"It's true that you were the only one in my room that day right? My mother rarely makes visits anymore…"

Chouji nodded slowly.

"When I got home I noticed that the shogi pieces were aranged differently. You also forgot to pick up a few pieces under my bed. The pieces that you hadn't picked up were pretty visible if you had looked under the bed. Since you're the type of person to finish what he started I figured that you probably found something else to occupy your mind and therefore couldn't finish your task. The fact that the shogi pieces were arranged neatly (but not in the same order) was because you didn't want me to know that someone had been in my room." Shikamaru paused to yawn, his attitude still unfazed. He eyed the opposite wall idly.

"...So it was obvious that you found out something you shouldn't have and had tried to hide the evidence" he finished with a small sigh.

Chouji exhaled deeply, taking the time to flop down on the bed with a loud thump.

"I really hate that brain of yours" he muttered in annoyance. Shikamaru merely smirked.

"But honestly, I can't believe you guys! Why would you do this?" Chouji scolded, already counting the consequences in the back of his mind. The shadow user sighed, knowing very well what would come next.

"It's all Ino's fault so if you want someone to lecture then go look for her"

A rather unpleasant look crossed Chouji's face and he sat up quickly, narrowing his eyes at the boy.

"Don't deny it Shikamaru, you're at fault too. What are you going to do if this gets out?"

Shikamaru shook his head.

"It's not going to get out"

"But it just did! To ME!"

The shirker yawned.

"Well, I figured you would find out sooner or later. If not then I would've told you myself"

Chouji had never had such a strong urge to strangle a person then what he was feeling now. He gave Shikamaru a look of warning.

"I think you guys should stop this before things get out of hand. What if your dad agrees to throw a wedding or something? It'll just make getting the truth out even harder…"

Shikamaru locked gazes with Chouji, his face remaining expressionless.

"Look Chouji, the contract'll end soon and we'll just call it a break up or something" he said easily.

"So you're willing to let her dad kill you?" Chouji argued in perplexity.

Shikamaru scoffed, massaging his neck with his hand.

"I'll worry about the details when the time comes…"

Chouji rose a confused brow. Shikamaru wasn't telling him everything. There must be a reason for him to stay faithful to the contract…

After a moment of hard thinking Chouji finally opened his mouth to speak.

"Okay, that's a lie and we both know it. What's your _real_ reason for sticking to the contract?"

"Ino would kill me" Shikamaru answered calmly. Chouji narrowed his eyes.

"Is that right? Because the Shikamaru I know wouldn't do something this stupid no matter what the consequences unless it was for an important reason. So what did you promise Ino?"

The scowl that appeared on Shikamaru's face made it apparent that Chouji had hit the mark. Shikamaru sighed. It seemed that the ignorance act would not work on Chouji so all he could do now was tell the truth.

"Okay, so I made her a promise. That's all I'm telling you…" he admitted, averting his eyes to anywhere but his friend. Chouji observed Shikamaru's face carefully…was that…a shade of _pink_ on his cheeks??

Dismissing the thought Chouji scratched his head in frustration. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"I just don't want to see you guys getting hurt"

His words seemed to have struck a cord and the shirker immediately stiffened. His eyes suddenly narrowed.

"Get hurt? What are you implying?"

Chouji held up his hands in defense.

"I'm not implying anything! I just don't want anything bad happening to you two"

Shikamaru frowned.

"Nothing's going to happen Chouji, we're not _like_ that. We see each other as family"

Shikamaru sighed again, feeling the urge to get up and leave. What was Chouji thinking? Ino was like his little sister. Okay, so she was younger by a day but that was beside the point. Besides, if he did have these so called 'feelings' for Ino he would be mad with jealousy (her male harem remember?) by now. Last time he checked, the urge to kill any one of her suitors hadn't crossed his mind. With the exception of that Shin prick of course…

Seeing the worried look on Chouji's face Shikamaru threw his friend a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry Chouji, no one's going to get hurt I promise. I'm just like a brother to Ino after all"

The shadow user gestured towards the seat across from him and Chouji moved to sit in front of the shogi board.

Watching Shikamaru make his first move Chouji couldn't help but notice the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

X

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X

"So he really didn't do anything to you two?"

Ino nodded as she daintily wiped her mouth with her napkin. She propped her elbow on the table and cupped her cheek.

"I have to admit that I was a little surprised too"

Taro looked thoughtful.

"Ino-san, may I ask you a question? It's a little personal…ah! B-but you don't have to answer if you don't want to!"

Ino quirked a delicate brow and nodded curtly, urging him to continue. Okay, so it was fact that he used to be (and still might be)…_infatuated _with her but he was a changed boy/man now. Ino knew he wouldn't ask something too personal or perverted...

The blonde blew on her bowl of soup as he continued his question.

"You…_**love**_ Nara-san don't you?"

Ino stopped, dropping her spoon on the floor in the process. The sharp ting of the metal against the tile floor pulled Ino out of her senses. It was as if time had stopped and she was the only one noticing it. The sound of her name being called snapped her out of her trance and she had to blink a few times to catch up with reality again.

"Wha-What makes you say that?" she managed to say despite how parched her throat felt. It was like she had just swallowed a bag of sand. Taro blushed, oblivious to Ino's sudden change.

"Ah…umm well…"

Taking out the manila folder he pulled out a small stack of photos, placing it in front of her. He began to fiddle with his fingers, a small blush coloring his cheeks.

"Um…these are the last of the photos I have of you…" he said awkwardly as he scratched his temple.

"I don't need them anymore but I had a feeling that you would like to keep them"

Ino removed her eyes from off the boy and picked up the stack of photos. After flipping through the small pile a blush rivaling Taro's appeared on her speechless face. She swallowed involuntarily and placed the photos down.

"I learned that day…that you were happiest most whenever you were around him…" Taro admitted with a smile. Something about his words struck Ino senseless and she felt her pulse quicken madly within her chest. She couldn't take her eyes off the pictures.

Aside from the fact that Shikamaru was either scowling or frowning in each picture (it was Shikamaru after all), Ino couldn't help but think that they had actually _looked_ like a real couple back then. Did she even smile that much on her other dates? Did she laugh that much or tease that much when she was with other guys? Ino reached for her glass of water, swallowing the contents with just one gulp.

The boy sitting across from her finally noticed her odd behavior and he sat up cautiously.

"Ino-san?" he questioned with concern.

The blonde suddenly stood up, scaring the poor boy out of his wits.

"I…I just remembered that I had to be somewhere…" she lied and made her way out of the booth seat. She stood facing Taro and bowed politely.

"Thanks for the meal…and…the photos…"

Clutching the pictures tightly, but not too tight, she turned around and left after telling him that she would visit soon. Taro stared at where Ino had left. He blinked in confusion but was brought to reality when the waiter came and presented him with the check.

He apologized before taking the check.

He looked at the price.

And nearly fell out of his chair.

X

O

X

Ino made her way through the crowded streets of Konoha ignoring the rapid pulsations in her chest. She thought about the pictures in her hands and her face once again flushed hotly.

She inwardly groaned. _Why did I take the pictures?!_

Making her way down the street she spotted her house and quickened her pace. She breathed in and out hoping to get rid of the odd sensation in her stomach.

"_You…love Nara-san don't you?" _

The blonde cursed when Taro's words appeared in her head. The darn question seemed to stick out like words off of a featured film. Her mind unconsciously went back to that fateful night, recalling how soft Shikamaru's lips felt against hers.

Ino halted in the middle of her power walk.

She let out a frustrated groan and squatted on the ground, covering her flushed face with her hands.

"_You…love Nara-san don't you?"_

Feeling the burning sensation get even hotter on her face Ino stood up, closing her eyes as she ran towards the comforts of her house.

"I won't say it!!" She nearly yelled.

She didn't know if it was fate or if someone out there simply wanted to see her squirm but what happened next was something she did not look forward to facing.

A choked cry came from the body Ino had ungracefully rammed into. The sudden force caused the stranger and Ino to both land unpleasantly on the floor. Ino gasped when she realized that the pictures were now scattered across the ground. Fearing that the photos would get damaged she moved to pick up the pieces of memory.

"What the--? Ino! What was that for?!"

The familiar voice made her stop in her tracks and Ino turned towards the voice, hoping that her psychotic state was just playing tricks on her.

Unfortunately it wasn't.

Shikamaru dusted off his pants and gazed down at her, his infamous scowl present on his face. Ino seemed immune to his scowl and continued to stare at him with a mixture of shock and awe.

What were the freaking odds?!

Shikamaru couldn't help the one thought that had been branded into his mind ever since he had the talk with Chouji. Looking down at the blonde he ignored Chouji's implications, repeating his comforting mantra in his head.

"_You…love Nara-san don't you?"_

Ino swallowed hard. Shikamaru looked away.

_I…__**love**__ Shikamaru._

_I'm like her __**brother**.

* * *

_

_Entangled and twisted,_

_Were two separate hearts,_

_It was a love story ready to bloom,_

_But without a single warning,_

_When one began to open,_

_...the other closed…

* * *

_

READ AND REVIEWWW!

edit 6/1


	12. Lie 11: TOGETHER

_**Lie 11- Together**_

Ino gaped at her words and shook her head violently.

_What am I saying?! Am I out of my MIND! I don't __**love**__ him! It's just because of what Taro said that I'm thinking like this!_

Letting out an annoyed sigh she turned her gaze to watch Shikamaru as he stood up to dust off his pants. She mentally cursed when she felt an unfamiliar small tug at the corner of her chest. Her heart suddenly began to do flips and she wasn't sure if she could pawn the feeling off as shock either. When the shadow possessor's eyes caught hers she hurriedly looked away, angry at herself for acting like this around him.

_Damnit…I really need to have a long soak in the bath right now…_

Picking herself up Ino moved to pick up the fallen photos. Shikamaru had moved to help her but froze as soon as her cold cerulean eyes glared at him. He watched in confusion as Ino quickly picked up the remaining pictures, pressing her eyebrows together as if thinking about something unpleasant. When she finished picking up the photos she stuffed them in her purse, mumbling small things to herself.

Shikamaru merely lifted a brow.

Did he just miss something here?

His thoughts were put on hold however, when he saw the blonde turn around to head back inside her house. Without thinking he grabbed onto her wrist before she had the chance to get away. He furrowed his brows and opened his mouth to question her odd behavior.

Oblivious to the strategist, his minor contact had sent a jolt through Ino that made her body freeze temporarily. Out of frustration, she quickly ripped her arm free from his grasp as if touched by acid.

Shikamaru stared at her as if she had gone mad.

"What's wrong with _**you**_?" he asked in an annoyed tone after receiving a cold glare from her. The blonde's bitter attitude wasn't making his mood any better then it already was.

Ino lowered her gaze and glared at her shoes.

"Nothing…" she muttered quietly, not bothering to hide the irritation in her voice. She waved her hand dismissively when Shikamaru raised an inquisitive brow and she turned away.

"I just…" she paused as if searching for a good enough explanation. "…I have some _**inconvenient**_ things on my mind today…so it's a good idea to leave me alone for awhile"

Shikamaru blinked at her words but then nodded in understanding. He would never understand women and their spontaneous tantrums but he knew when to back off. He was just glad the blonde had warned him beforehand.

Ino gazed at the floor and couldn't help the small feeling of guilt in the pit of her stomach. Shikamaru hadn't done anything wrong so why was she acting so bitchy towards him all of a sudden? The chunin in front of her stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Well, I don't know if this is a good time but I ran into your dad earlier and he said if I ever saw you to tell you that he wanted to see the both of us as soon as possible…"

The worn out look on her face told Shikamaru all he needed to know about what she thought of the new information.

With an exasperated sigh Ino shut the front door and turned to follow Shikamaru to wherever her dad was. She was ready to go until she felt his hand softly touch her shoulder.

She glanced up to see his thoughtful expression.

"Actually…just pretend you didn't see me today…" he said with a small wink. Without waiting for her reply he turned to leave, waving back at her without looking back.

A few minutes passed and Shikamaru's form had long disappeared around the corner. Ino finally blinked from her stupor. She didn't know whether her gaping was because of his sincerity or how incredibly attractive his wink had been. She shuddered when her thoughts began to trail down an undesirable path and without putting another thought into the matter, rushed inside her house for a very, _**very **_long soak.

X

O

X

Ino sighed in contentment when she lowered herself into her small bathtub. The water quickly warmed her skin and the rose petals floating in the water helped relax her body. The blonde lowered her head to rest against the back of the tub and she watched as the steam fogged up her windows and mirrors. The comforting aroma from her scented candles drifted around her and she closed her eyes in deep thought. She needed to get her mind straightened out.

She couldn't get Shikamaru out of her mind. She knew that what she felt for him was different compared to long ago. When it happened she didn't know for certain but it was clear to her now. Shifting her legs she opened her eyes to watch the ripples reflect off of the sides of the tub.

Earlier she had admitted to loving Shikamaru but she didn't want to jump so hastily into things. It was only because of that pestering question that she had admitted to loving him. She _liked_ Shikamaru of course. But was it more then just friends? More then family?

Ever since she could remember he had played the role of her brother and her best friend. He was someone who she trusted and looked up to greatly. Was she just confusing her emotions? Maybe what she was feeling was just love for another family member.

Ino sighed and massaged her temples slowly.

But what she felt for her father and Chouji was definitely different then what she felt for Shikamaru.

She closed her eyes once more, her cheeks flushed from the warm bath.

What was Shikamaru to her? He was her friend yes. He was her teammate. He was her confidant. He was her shoulder to lean on. He was her human punching bag. He was like her family...probably...but...was he like a _brother_?

Ino shook her head when her memories suddenly recalled the kiss.

Family members didn't kiss each other and ENJOY it. Ino bit her lip and sunk her head in the water for a good few seconds. When she resurfaced she wiped the water from her eyes. It was true. She couldn't lie to herself. Even if the kiss was one-sided she had found herself _**enjoying**_ it.

Ino groaned and lowered her head until only her eyes remained above the water. She mentally sighed and gurgled the water in exasperation.

She thought about her teammate some more and the scowling face he always had on.

Shikamaru was quite attractive, that was for sure. He would be even more so if he let his hair down like that one time when he was too lazy to find another hair tie. Speaking of his lazy characteristic, Ino found his personality quite cute and fun to tease. She never thought about her attitude towards him until now. She kind of regretted ever being so open and carefree around him. It was just harmless teasing on her part. Although she did recall the many misunderstandings her friends had pointed out through the years. She had merely told them that it was nothing and that Yamanaka Ino wouldn't be herself if she _wasn't_ flirting with boys. She was always the open and head strong type.

Ino mentally kicked herself when her thoughts strayed away to _that _path once again. Wasn't the whole purpose of this soak to try and convince herself that she _**didn't**_ like the strategist?

She let out another sigh and closed her eyes once again.

Thinking about him was just so…so…

…so annoyingly _**troublesome**_!

She sunk her head underneath the water once again for good measure.

X

O

X

Shikamaru sighed in frustration as he tried to relax in his favorite cloud gazing spot.

He opened his eyes to watch the clear blue sky that reminded him too well of his blonde teammate. He mentally cursed.

_Stupid Chouji and his damn implications…_

He didn't even know why Chouji's words had affected him so. Shikamaru never once looked at Ino in any way beyond a teammate or a childhood friend and he didn't want to start now.

But freaking Chouji! He could still hear the suggestive hint in the weight changer's voice when he had warned Shikamaru about the contract. Shikamaru would have well forgotten about it if Inoichi hadn't told him to go fetch Ino. Seeing the blonde in front of her house made that stupid comment stick in his head and he once again had to remind himself that he was only a brotherly figure to her.

Ino didn't like his type anyway. And the same went for him.

Shikamaru pressed his brows together, a part of him wishing that this contract deal could hurry up and end already. He wanted to go back to his regular life where his thoughts would not be captured by a certain blue-eyed kunoichi.

Scratching his ankle with his foot the chunin let out a small huff.

Actually, this was all Chouji AND Ino's fault. It was just his bad luck that made him the guy caught up in the mess. If only Ino had been more discreet about her flirtatious activities he wouldn't be here caught up in thoughts about how annoyingly _attractive_ she was becoming.

It had been hard enough on him just realizing that she was a _**girl**_!

But an _attractive _girl? What was the world coming to?!

Shikamaru grumbled curses under his breath and had the sudden urge to bang his head on something hard and blunt.

This Ino business was such a pain!

It was just so damn _**troublesome**_!

X

O

X

Upon awakening from her afternoon nap Ino was surprised to find Shikamaru sitting leisurely on her living room couch.

The boy gave her a cautious look.

"I know you told me to stay away but…" he began almost mutely but trailed off to observe her reaction. He resisted the urge to shield his face for any sharp objects that might be projected his way. Ino gave him a puzzled look before remembering her exact words to the boy just before her long bath.

"Oh" she remembered as she crossed into the living room.

"It's alright now, everything just sort of…_passed_'

Ino couldn't help but smile when she saw Shikamaru relax in his seat.

"What're you doing here?" she asked and walked over to grab an apple from the fruit basket on her dining room table. Shikamaru watched her quietly and stood up from his seat on the leather couch.

"I ran into your dad again. He told me to come get you. I'm afraid I can't cover for you any longer…" he joked lightly. Ino raised a brow and shined the apple with her hand before taking a bite thoughtfully.

"Hrm. I see. Where are we supposed to meet him exactly?" she asked between bites.

"He's at my house right now. Says he has something to show us"

Ino shot him a questionable look and Shikamaru could only shrug. She returned the gesture and finished half of the apple, tossing it to him as he caught it easily.

"Finish it" Was all she said before making her way up the stairs. She paused at the second step and turned around to face him.

"Let me get ready and then we'll leave" she announced plainly.

Shikamaru said nothing but took a bite from her apple calmly.

As Ino bounded up the stairs it took all of her willpower not to scream out "_**Indirect kiss!**_"

X

O

X

"So…I had forgotten to ask you something about that night…" Ino began and kept her expression under check.

Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked along beside her.

"What night?"

_The one where I kissed you._

Ino coughed awkwardly and Shikamaru raised a curious brow.

"The one where you cried because you were so worried about me" she teased after regaining her senses. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"I did _**not**_ cry" he shot back in protest. Ino pursed her lips in a small "Hmm"

"Well anyways, I never got to ask you how you managed to figure out where I was…"

She was confused when Shikamaru snorted at the comment.

"That Taro guy isn't the brightest is he?"

Ino frowned, wondering where this conversation was going.

Shikamaru traded looks with her.

"In one of his letters to you, he had written a poem that read, and I quote; _Your beauty does not par with the Sakura trees outside my window. The mere sight of you is the light that shines through Kajinshi building._"

Ino blinked as if not understanding his point. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Kajinshi building is an old run down apartment complex outside of the main Konoha area. The fact that there were also Sakura trees around the place made me positive that this was the place he was holding you"

The florist blinked once again before finally letting the revelation sink in. Before she could stop herself she burst out into fits of laughter.

"Taro's such a dummy! I'm totally going to rub this in his face the next time I see him!" she managed to say between laughs. Shikamaru shook his head in mild amusement.

"What amazes me is that you two are friends now. Who's ever heard of a stalkee befriending her stalker?" he pointed out flatly.

Ino held up her head defiantly.

"Taro-kun has made it up to me and he promises to never do it again" she said matter of factly.

Shikamaru watched her in disbelief.

"Right. Just don't get me involved in any more of your crazy affairs…" he reminded.

Ino was about to shoot him a snappy comeback but suddenly paused when his hand grasped hers quickly. She looked up at him in shock as her face turned a brilliant shade of red. Just before she could ask him what he was doing Shikamaru opened his mouth.

"I found her Mr. Yamanaka" he said as he walked up to his father and Inoichi. The two grown men grinned at each other.

"Of course you did, I never doubted you one bit son"

The comment made Ino blush further and Shikamaru couldn't help the slight pink staining his cheeks.

Inoichi turned and pointed down the road.

"Well, shall we be on our way?"

Ino lifted her uncertain eyes at Shikamaru and they traded wary looks. Both said nothing as the two grown men began to lead the way.

"I have a surprise for you pumpkin" Inoichi announced as he walked a few paces ahead of the couple, beside Shikaku. The Nara Senior merely grunted unenthusiastically. Ino nodded slowly and tried to ignore the urge to remove her hand from Shikamaru's. She just hoped he couldn't feel how clammy they were getting…

After at least twenty minutes of walking and torturous handholding, Inoichi finally stopped and turned around to face the couple.

"Well, here's your surprise!" he announced happily.

Ino and Shikamaru looked behind the man.

"Uh. Wow dad…it's uh lovely…i guess?" she started stupidly as she stared at her supposed gift.

Shikamaru eyed at the gift as well.

"It's a...uhh…building?" he questioned aloud, looking at the three story apartment complex in front of him.

Inoichi furrowed his brows.

"Not the whole building!" he scoffed. Honestly!

Shikaku pointed to a certain door where Yoshino and Mrs. Yamanaka had suddenly appeared out of.

"This…" Inoichi began almost excitedly.

"…is where you two will be staying together from now on!"

...

...

Two pairs of eyes widened in horror.

Ino was too in shock to feel Shikamaru's hand release her own.

The two teens could only stare at Inoichi as if he had asked them to sleep together (which technically could've been the same thing).

It took a few minutes for the information to sink in and Shikamaru was the first to snap out of his daze.

"Wha-What is he talking about dad?!"

Shikaku smiled and patted his son on the back.

"Well, we figured since we couldn't hold the engagement we'd allow you to live together instead"

Shikamaru could only gape at his father.

What kind of crack logic was this!?

Ino stared towards the room where her mother stood at the balcony wearing a warm smile. The kunoichi however, couldn't return the smile. She remained dazed as her mind came up with hundreds of scenerios between herself and Shikamaru, some being a little _**too**_ much for her heart to handle.

She parted her dry lips slowly, eyes still glassy as if in a trance.

"To...To-_**together**_..?"

From the look her father gave her she suspected her voice had cracked just then.

Inoichi's smile disappeared and he gave her a worried look.

"Ino sweetheart, are you alright?" he moved and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Ino didn't answer for she had already fainted from a brain malfunction.

But the last thing that penetrated her hearing abilities was what her father said after catching her in his arms...

"Will you look at that! She must be really happy!" the blond man laughed.

Shikamaru could be heard groaning in the background...

* * *

**Tsuzuku...**

* * *

Hmm. I kind of like how this chapter turned out.

Haha. And just when you thought Ino had realized her feelings for Shika.

Yes I'm evil…

Just to clear things up. After Shikamaru and Ino had enough time to think over things, they both decided not to explore further into the matter of their sudden 'attraction' towards one another. But for how long can they hide it I wonder?

Next chapter is half done so it'll be out this month.

By the way, I revamped ALL of the chapters and changed some minor parts but not much to get you confused.

_**ATTENTION! THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE SHIKAxINO SCENERIO IN MY POLL! SO VOTE NOW!**_


	13. Lie 12: ROOMIES

_**Lie 12 – Roomies**_

A sigh escaped the lips of one disoriented florist as she finished taping the flaps on her cardboard box securely. She brushed the stray wisps of hair from her face and straightened her posture, putting her hands on her hips.

That was the last of them.

_Unfortunately…_

Ino wiped the sweat off her forehead and examined her now empty room.

"What have I gotten myself into?" she muttered regretfully, picking up the box with ease. With a shake of her head she turned and left the room. The blonde trudged through the hallway and down the stairs slowly, making sure to emphasize her displeasure with every thump from her feet. As Ino entered the Yamanaka living room, she spotted her mother packing up a small lunch as a celebration for Ino's move.

_Celebration my __**butt**__…_the younger Yamanaka thought icily. Ino stepped forth, making sure that her mother could hear her long and, very practiced, woe-is-me sigh. When her mother ignored her (she was positive it was "ignore", her mother was already well accustomed to all of her tricks), Ino decided to go ahead and voice out her opinion. That usually won in Ino's favor since her mother had always taught her to never disregard someone who was speaking to you.

"I still don't think this is a good idea mom" the florist repeated for the fifth time today (but who was counting?). When Ino was positive that she had her mother's attention the blonde added a quick, "I mean I'm only seventeen! You and dad are supposed to _prevent _me from getting into these things. Not start them!"

Ino chewed her lip nervously. Time was ticking and it was her last chance to convince her parents to reconsider their horrible mistake.

Mrs. Yamanaka chuckled and stepped over to where her daughter was, opening the front door politely.

"Nonsense Ino, Your father and I trust you—" she paused then, eying her daughter critically. "Well…Shikamaru at least…" she corrected herself with a laugh.

Ino could only stare.

"_**Mom**_!"

The blonde woman laughed.

"Oh stop it dear! Just give it a couple of days alright? If you really don't want to live with Shikamaru then you let your father and I know"

Ino blanched.

"I don't need a couple of days to let you know! I know _now_!" she half shrieked.

Mrs. Yamanaka sighed and followed her daughter out of the house.

"Sweetie, is something wrong? Are you fighting with Shikamaru-kun? Is that why you don't want to live with him? Should I talk to him?"

Ino practically stumbled at her mother's words. She placed the box down in the wooden cart and waved her hands frantically at her mother.

"No! No mom! It's just uh…you know…" the blonde paused, searching her mind for a valid excuse. Ino's mother looked at her skeptically.

"Well he's such a…such a **slob**! And you know how nit-picky I can be about that…" the florist fibbed, rubbing her arm awkwardly. _Jeez Ino, is that the best you can do?_

Her mother let her eyes linger on her daughter for a moment before laughing in response, "Oh Ino, is that all? That's nothing to worry about!"

Ino turned from her mother then, massaging her temples while she thought of another way to stop this madness. She was not going to idly stand by for this! There must be some other excuse she could use! She was not going to let this turn into some cliché plot twist in one of those pervy books Naruto's sensei was always reading!

Before the blonde could start another lie-filled conversation with her mother, what better timing then to spot her lovely boyfriend trudging down the road with their fathers in tow.

Mrs. Yamanaka smiled at her husband. "Finished packing Shikamaru-kun's things already?" she asked with surprise. The blond man gave her a nod. "There wasn't much…"

Shikamaru came to a stop a few paces away from Ino, giving her a slight nod of acknowledgement. Inoichi frowned, a sure sign indicating that he thought of their small greeting as unacceptable. The two fathers traded looks, giving their children expectant gazes.

Shikamaru wanted to roll his eyes. He buried his hands deeper into his pockets. Like hell was he going to act all "lovey dovey" in front of---

"Oh Shikamaru! You came to take my things to the apartment? How sweet of you!" came Ino's voice before she launched herself at him. Ino wrapped her arms around his neck in a small embrace. She closed her eyes in faux bliss.

_You're digging your own grave Yamanaka…_the blonde noted quietly.

Shikamaru felt the small jab of Ino's finger on his shoulder and reluctantly returned the hug.

He mentally sighed…_this girl…!_

Ino quickly released the hug, turning away so the group wouldn't see her already flushed face.

"I-I'm gonna go finish bringing down the rest of the boxes!" she excused herself hurriedly, scurrying away from the adults (and Shikamaru) before her face could get any redder.

Shikaku nudged his son in the ribcage, gesturing to the inside of the house with his eyes.

Shikamaru fought against his scowl and wordlessly followed the blonde inside, rolling his eyes when he heard the remarks Ino's parents made about them. He crossed the living room quietly, taking his time as he made his way up the stairs.

When he finally reached Ino's bedroom he was surprised to find her missing.

"Ino…?"

A response came in small thuds coming from the direction of the blonde's closet. A small groan could be heard before Ino emerged behind the door slowly, rubbing the back of her head.

"Shikamaru! Don't sneak up on me!" she accused immediately, ignoring the slight pink that stained her cheeks. Ino looked away from his gaze. She didn't expect him to follow her after _that_ embarrassing moment!

He raised a questioning brow.

"What part of that was sneaking? I just called your name"

Ino frowned, picking up after the boxes that had fallen unceremoniously onto her skull.

"Yeah yeah" she dismissed sourly, placing the boxes on her desk.

A silence overcame the two before she threw him a look.

"So I guess you couldn't convince your parents either…" Ino stated blankly. She flopped down on her bare mattress with a frustrated sigh.

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck, leaning against the doorframe.

"Yeah…about that…sorry. My mom wouldn't believe anything I came up with. She said something about how living with you would help discipline me or something…" he trailed off awkwardly.

Ino sighed, rubbing the back of her neck and cast her eyes towards the ground.

"You know Shikamaru….if you still want to call off the deal--"

The blonde suddenly jerked in surprise to the sound of her door slamming shut. Shikamaru gave her a look of displeasure before moving away to lean himself against the desk directly before her.

"I think there are more pros to this situation..." he stated plainly, picking up a snow globe that had been sitting idly on Ino's desk.

Shikamaru examined the object in his hands.

"I mean…this way it'd be easier for you to go on dates and it'd get my mom off my case…" he continued, rubbing his thumb against the glass thoughtfully. When the minutes passed by without Ino's response, Shikamaru finally glanced up at his teammate.

He was surprised to find a shocked expression on her face.

And then it hit him.

"Wait...You seriously didn't think about that?" he asked in surprise. Ino blinked as if his words had brought her back to reality. She matched her gaze with his and her cheeks reddened instantly.

"I just…had other things on my mind…" she admitted embarrassingly.

Shikamaru quirked a brow at her sheepish behavior. "Like what?"

He honestly didn't understand women sometimes…

Ino's blush intensified before she caught herself in the act. The look on Shikamaru's face told her that she was being way too obvious and she coughed awkwardly to break the silence. Her brows furrowed at him as she regained her composure.

"Just stuff okay? What's it to you?" She retorted hotly, being sure to make her voice as bossy as necessary. Shikamaru held his hands out in defense. He placed the snow globe back on the desk.

"Sorry" he muttered mechanically. It had become second nature for him to apologize to Ino whenever she was in one of her "moods". Even if he had no idea what he had done wrong to deserve such a thing in the first place. After all, being around his mother had helped him become cautious about these things. It was one of the few things he could thank his mother for…

Ino stood slowly, folding her arms under her chest.

"Well I guess you do have a point. So you're okay with this arrangement then? I don't want you blaming me when the time comes…" Ino noted truthfully.

Shikamaru snorted and picked up a few of her boxes. It was better not to leave the parents waiting too long. Who knew what conclusions they would make up by themselves...

"I can handle your troublesome ass fine don't worry" he scoffed flatly. Ino glared at him despite the red glow on her cheeks. She whipped her head around and engulfed a whole stack of boxes in her arms. Without as much as a glance at Shikamaru she marched out of her bedroom, taking the stairs two steps at a time.

"Agh!" Ino cried in frustration as she made it pass her kitchen. "A pervert? Am I a pervert?" the blonde asked herself quietly.

Ino quickened her pace, trying to distance herself from her teammate's presence. She had no idea what had happened back there. Shikamaru's comment had been innocent and figurative enough. But for some stupid reason her mind had taken it _**literally**_.

Ino shook her head at the images in her mind and took a deep breath.

_Compose yourself Yamanaka! Compose yourself!! _

Ino slammed the front door open, making her way out of the house to where her parents were waiting.

"Sorry about the wait! Shikamaru was just helping me pack the stuff I forgot" Ino lied quickly, just as the mentioned boy came out of the house with the last of her boxes in tow.

Inoichi and Shikaku traded such obvious looks that made Ino want to groan out loud.

Mrs. Yamanaka gave the confused Shikamaru a smile.

"Well then, I guess we should be going then!" she chimed excitedly. What her excitement was for came as a mystery to Ino. The Yamanaka heiress set the boxes down in the cart carefully.

Shikamaru didn't even need his dad's "guidance" to perform his next act of chivalry. The shadow user took the carts handle from Ino's hands and the two teens began trudging towards their new apartment.

Ino waited until her parents were too much ahead and out of earshot.

"Thanks…" she muttered grudgingly, referring to his agreement to stay with their "contract". Shikamaru watched her from the corner of his eyes.

"No problem. But actions speak louder than words" he retorted with amusement etched into his voice. Ino raised a cautious brow. _He couldn't possibly mean…_

"I get dibs on the master bedroom" the Nara heir concluded before Ino could have the chance to let her mind wander to unnecessary places.

The blonde blinked and shot her fist out to punch his arm lightly.

"You wish" she challenged coolly.

Shikamaru could only smirk in return.

X

O

X

With a click from the door Ino finally emerged from her room after hours of unpacking. Her parents had gone home awhile ago around noon. Ino looked out of the window, wondering how it had become so late in the afternoon so quickly. She crossed the hallway to the kitchen and grabbed a piece of fruit from the basket. Thankfully Chouji's family had stopped by earlier with a whole bunch of food as a means of a celebration gift. It had been enough to stock their fridge for at least two weeks.

Ino washed the apple in the sink before taking a bite from the fruit. Her eyes landed on a figure sprawled across the living room couch and she rolled her eyes.

"You've already finished unpacking?" she called from the kitchen in disbelief.

For a moment she thought Shikamaru was sleeping until his lazy voice floated from the couch.

"I only packed the essential things. I left most of my stuff at home" he answered flatly. "You on the other hand always have too much stuff..."

Ino would've glared at him but from her position the couch had obscured Shikamaru's face. She placed her hand on her hip.

"Exactly! It took me two whole hours figuring out where to put my stuff since my room is so much SMALLER than yours!" she huffed childishly. "I don't even know why you need that huge walk-in closet! I still have two large boxes of my clothes in my room! I would've put that closet to good use! It's wasted on you!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, turning the page of his novel.

"Still bitter are we?"

Ino gave him the usual sticking-out-of-tongue before taking a large bite from her apple.

"You only got the room because I felt obligated to give it to you. Your parents are the ones paying for the rent after all" she admitted grudgingly. Shikamaru raised a curious brow, eyes still set on the words of his page.

"No one ordered you to go out of your way" he retorted finally.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was implying. Ino frowned in displeasure.

"Out of my..? I'm _**always**_ this nice!" she shot back haughtily.

Shikamaru snorted. "Whatever you say princess"

Ino moved out of the kitchen so her glare would have a better affect on the Nara spawn. Shikamaru lowered the book from his face and ignored her glare. He paused for a moment before giving her a sincere smile as a silent thank-you.

The florist was taken by surprise and blushed crimson. She turned her gaze away, cursing Shikamaru and that smile of his.

Shikamaru turned the page before speaking again.

"Feel free to visit my amazing room if you'd like. And I'm even going to be nice enough to let you crash in it when I'm not around. You're probably going to do it anyway" he added, remembering an instance when he had found Ino asleep in his room because he was known to have quote, "the most comfortable bed in all of Konoha" unquote.

Ino blanched at his suggestion, oblivious to the memory the boy had recalled.

She could only stare at him. Where was all this _**coming**_ from?! Shikamaru was never this implicative before was he? He'd never joke about these kind of things...

"You...!!" she began slowly, still at a loss for words. Ino pressed her brows together.

"Stop being so weird!" she concluded loudly, slamming her apple down on the counter after the apparent loss of her appetite.

Shikamaru lowered the book again and gave her a look of surprise.

"Weird? Where did _**that**_ come from?" he asked in confusion. His brow shot higher when he noticed the flushed look on Ino's face.

"You okay? Your face is beet red" Shikamaru observed as he sat up. He set his book down on the glass table and brought his whole attention to the blonde. It'd be troublesome if she had caught another cold…

Ino looked offended by his remark.

"I-I'm fine!" she barked before turning on her heel and marching back towards her room.

Shikamaru winced at the sound of the slamming of Ino's door. He blinked in confusion when he heard the click of her lock follow soon afterwards.

With a small "tch" he picked up his book once again, settling himself comfortably on the couch. It was probably one of her "moods" again...

"And she calls _**me**_ weird…"

He could already tell that it was going to be fun rooming with Ino...

...

Ha!

* * *

_**Tsuzuku**_...

* * *

It's a miracle! I'm sorry for the…half year absence..?! Dang time flies! I just recently got out of my shika/ino funk and I'm hoping to release at least two chapters a month from here on out!

Forgive me if Shikamaru was totally out of character…

The next Lie will be entitled **Temptations**....ooh la la! :D


End file.
